Premier SHC final preview: Barrs and Glen have grown stronger following slow starts

Given that Sunday’s Co-op SuperStores Cork Premier SHC final is so rooted in history, it’s fitting that we can say for certain that more will be created, regardless of the outcome.

Since the change in format for the county championships introduced in 2020, the six editions of the Premier SHC prior to this year had seen just three teams qualify for the knockout stages after losing their first match – and none of those three managed to go all the way to ultimate glory.

In the current campaign, that tally of three was doubled as St Finbarr’s, Glen Rovers and Sarsfields all lost their openers. While Sars’ defence of the title was ended with a quarter-final loss to Kanturk, the two city sides have picked up momentum since the opening missteps and now they find themselves battling it out for the Seán Óg Murphy Cup for the first time since 1988.

It’s a 13th final in all between the rival Blackpool and Togher outfits, with the previous dozen having been shared equally. In the all-time standings, the Glen sit second behind Blackrock with 27 outright victories, their opponents just one behind in third.

In pre-final press events, personnel from both camps expressed the opinion that their best had not been on full display but what is clear is that each graph has been trending upwards since a disappointing weekend in Páirc Uí Rinn at the beginning of August.

Despite having an extra man for more than half of their encounter against Blackrock on the Saturday night, the Glen failed to make it count; the previous evening, the Barrs had struggled to make any real impact against a Midleton team that showed the kind of form that would see them take the top seeding and the automatic semi-final spot.

It is a quirk of the reformatted championship that none of the clubs that have secured that bye have gone on to win the championship, the statistic growing from zero to seven as the Magpies fell to the Glen a fortnight ago. The longer lay-off could be said to be part of the reason for the east Cork side’s failure to advance but there was no doubting the fact that the Glen were the better team on the day.

Their progress since the Rockies game could not be said to have been serene – they were minutes from elimination as they trailed Kanturk by two points in their second match but the four-point response showed composure and character in equal measure and gave them a platform on which to build.

They did that by seeing off Fr O’Neill’s and then Charleville in the quarter-finals before getting past Midleton. What will be pleasing for the Glen is that, while their beacons have shone bright with big performances from Patrick Horgan and Robert and Eoin Downey, it has been a collective effort.

Eoin O’Leary and Simon Kennefick have come to the fore in adding menace to the full-forward line while Micheál Mullins’ all-action style has provided impetus all over the field and his two goals in the semi underlined an added scoring threat.

Captain Adam Lynch has scarcely put a foot right in defence while goalkeeper Cathal Hickey has proven all-but-unbeatable when required. In addition, the experience brought to bear by Brian Moylan and Dean Brosnan has been invaluable.

The Barrs responded to the Midleton loss by producing a good display against Bride Rovers and a draw with Newcestown was enough to qualify. A strong second half saw them past Imokilly in the quarter-finals and, like the Glen in the group stage, they were asked plenty of questions by Kanturk before coming up with the answers.

Ethan Twomey’s goal was key in that game and a storming performance from midfield set the tone while Ben Cunningham and Brian Hayes came to the fore in attack. William Buckley, already a Premier SFC winner with the club, won’t be overawed by the occasion of playing in a final.

Much will come down to matchups, with Hayes against Robert Downey potentially pivotal while the Barrs’ deployment of Damien Cahalane, Jamie Burns and Ciarán Doolan will take some consideration.

It will be close, but hopefully not a draw – given that the replay would be a midweek, owing to Munster Club SHC commitments.