SAHC preview: Castlelyons must pick themselves up for derby clash

Such is the compacted nature of the Co-op SuperStores SAHC, with so many teams capable of making the step up to premier senior level, that the ‘group of death’ tag is not a single-use item.

The 2026 competition provides firm proof of that, not least in Group 1, which features the last two beaten finalists in Blarney and Castlelyons, the 2025 Premier IHC winners Watergrasshill – who went on to Munster and All-Ireland glory – and Ballyhea.

Riverstown was the venue for the opening-round clash of the two most recent runners-up and Castlelyons were so close to what would have been a significant victory until Mark Coleman fired home a late goal from a free to give Blarney victory.

The mid-Cork side will look to build on that in Glantane on Sunday, throw-in at 3.30pm as they face a Ballyhea side that fell to Watergrasshill by six. Shane Barrett’s dead-ball accuracy in the first game was valuable and they will hope that he can catch fire while Pádraig Power is capable of returning to the form that saw him regain his Cork place after a cruciate ligament injury. While Patrick Daly and Tom Hanley combined for 13 Ballyhea points against the Hill, no other player scored more than once.

Castlelyons, having been reeled in by a late Bride Rovers fightback in last year’s final replay, must channel the disappointment of the Blarney loss as they get set for a derby with the Hill – Alan Fenton, Leon Doocey and Anthony Spillane give them the firepower to do that but of course they must contend with their opponents’ Seán Desmond, Adam Murphy and Shane O’Regan.

Group 3 is similarly tricky to negotiate. Seán Walsh’s absence was felt by Carrigtwohill in the opening-round defeat to Inniscarra, even allowing for the scoring burden being shared by his brother Patrick, James Mulcahy, Cian O’Riordan and Justin Oke, as the Muskerry side won by 0-22 to 0-18 with a strong finish.

To a degree, the fact that the other game in the opening round, south-east derby, finished in a draw was a good result for the but they must still glean something something from Friday night’s clash with Courcey Rovers in Páirc Uí Rinn (7.30pm).

A huge free from goalkeeper Stephen Nyhan earned a point for the Ballinspittle/Ballinadee side against their neighbours while Richard Sweetnam contributed 11 points.

The outcome of that game will have given a clearer shape to the table by the Ballinhassig meet Inniscarra in Ovens on Sunday at 5pm. Joseph Enright led the way on the scoring front in Inniscarra’s win over Carrigtwohill but it was an ensemble effort, with ten different players registering, including two for centre-back Seán O’Donoghue.

He is likely to come up against former inter-county colleague Ger Collins on Sunday while Seán O’Neill is another who can threaten, having shot four points from play in the Courceys draw.

Erin’s Own showed no ill-effects of relegation as they beat Na Piarsaigh by seven in Group 2, a game where Robbie O’Fynn showed his class and Conor Lenihan finished with 1-5. The task for Brendan O’Riordan’s side now is to carry the form into Sunday’s game with Killeagh in Castlemartyr (2pm) – Barry Walsh scored 1-4 in their victory over Fermoy but in Dylan and Ryan McCarthy and Eoghan Keniry that had a wide array of dangerous options.

Where that match will off the winner the near-certainty of a knockout spot, the Piarsaigh-Fermoy game in Castlelyons at 5pm on Saturday is geared towards easing relegation worries.

Dáire Connery, Patrick Rourke and Pádraig Guest are all likely to be key for the northsiders whereas Fermoy will look to the likes of Fionn Lardner and Ben Twomey.