John Horgan on Cork hurling: Second games can be make-or-break in club championship

The second game in a four-team group is effectively a make-or-break situation for those sides who lost their opening encounter.

It's simply a case of almost certainly having to get something from the second test, a victory or a draw at the very least.

A share of the spoils would keep a team in contention to make it through to the knockout stage but another loss would, in all probability, be fatal.

A number of teams found themselves in that precarious situation, needing to right the wrongs of their opening day loss with the Barrs being one of them, taking on a Bride Rovers team that already had two points on the board after their defeat of Newcestown.

The city side were very poor in their loss to Midleton but on Saturday evening their camp was a much happier place to be residing in.

This column spent a good bit of time at Páirc Uí Rinn over the weekend and the final hour was spent eyeing that Barrs and Bride Rovers encounter.

And that much used phrase, goals win matches came very much into play again, the men in blue from Togher banging in three and conceding none.

Brian Cunningham was one who got the ball rolling with the opener, sub John Wiggington Barrett got the second before Cunningham rounded off a fine individual display with the third.

It's in the DNA of Bride Rovers to battle to the bitter end and they had reduced an eight point lead back down to four before the goal that killed the game as a contest.

What the Barrs had done on the training field since their loss to Midleton we are not privy to but it certainly worked the oracle this time.

William Buckley was outstanding in the number 13 shirt, posting some terrific points throughout, and his return to form was a joyful watch over the hour.

As a unit, the Barrs were much more assertive and their list of scorers included both defenders Ciaran Doolan and Sean Daly who secured three between them.

Bride Rovers were second best on this occasion but they still have everything to play for in their final group game against Midleton.

Midleton got home by the skin of their teeth in the opening game against Newcestown and it was a case of history almost repeating itself here. The same two sides could not be separated 12 months ago, the West Cork team fully deserving of the point on that occasion and they would have deserved another one this time.

Midleton's winning point was secured after the three minutes of added time had been played and full marks to them for keeping their 100% record intact in the group.

Being honest, another draw would have been a result that would have had few dissenting voices. But that's how the cookie crumbles and now Newcestown are pointless and sailing in very troubled waters.

It's the Barrs next in the final group game and despite being in the position that they now find themselves in, the city team will tread very warily against them, one of those teams that don't always get what they deserve, this was one of those occasions.

In stark contrast, Midleton are looking very strong now to having their season extended but everything hinges on the last round of games.

And you could have a situation of three teams being level on four points if the Rovers defeat Midleton and the Barrs see off Newcestown. That's the beauty of the current format, all to play for, three teams out of the four still having work to do.

CONSISTENT

Not for the first time and certainly not for the last, Conor Lehane excelled for Midleton, the former Cork star continuing to be one of the best club players in the county. He was off target a couple of times but a final tally of eight points illustrated his vast worth to this Midleton team who had 10 different scorers over the hour.

Full-forward, Sean O'Donovan gave 110% for Newcestown, delivering 1-2 and if the support play at times was better it could have been a different story.

Again, it was one of those weekends when you wished you could have been in a number of different places at the same time.

In Group 2, Sarsfields got back on the horse with victory over Newtownshandrum but it certainly wasn't all plain sailing.

They put up the impressive tally of 4-21 but, at the same time, conceded 4-14, leaving in so many goals will not sit easily with Johnny Crowley and Diarmuid O'Sullivan. But getting the result was the only imperative after losing to Charleville and the champions must be fancied now to make the knockout stage.

To do so they must get the better of Douglas in their final group game, Douglas falling short when the bigger questions were asked against Charleville. But that group is not sorted yet though Charleville are as good as home and dry with four points from two games.

The first visit of the weekend for this column was for the Senior A clash on Friday night between Carrigtwohill and Courcey Rovers, both needing a positive riposte after their openers, Carrig, more so after losing to Inniscarra and Courceys doing better with a draw against Ballinhassig.

So this was squeaky-bum time for both and it was the former senior champions who came through with flying colours.

Despite going well into double figures with their wide count and the excellence of Stephen Nyhan in the Courceys goal with some terrific saves, Carrig quite rightly prevailed. It was very much a second-half show of strength from the East Cork team with some outstanding scoring contributions from a number of players, most notably James Mulcahy, Matthew Barrett, Cian O'Riordan and highly impressive Patrick Walsh.

There was an air of gloom in the village after the loss to Inniscarra but the management team, led by Denis Walsh, were confident that it was just one of those lethargic displays that could be responded positively to in their next assignment.

And that certainly was the story that unfolded.

But surely, one of the headline stories of the weekend was Na Piarsaigh's fantastic recovery in defeating Fermoy in the Senior A championship.

Trailing by 11 points at one stage, they went on to win by 10 points, their final huge tally of 32 points a massive boost for a club striving to elevate themselves to a higher plateau again.

That result will surely energise everybody in Farranre, a club that has given so much to Cork hurling over the years both on and off the field.

Good to see Daire Connery contributing largely again, young Ross O'Sullivan in scintillating scoring form and Connery's father Christy and the rest of the management team will take a lot of heart from the response.

In all games, eyes are peeled for players who might have something to offer the Cork set-up going forward.

Maybe when the bar is raised higher, the stakes become increasingly so too we'll be able to make fuller assessments on those that might be in the frame.

Nothing that clear thus far.