Premier JHC: Kilshannig aim to follow trend but St Catherine's full of experience

Of all of the grades across the Cork county championships since the 2020 revamp, the Co-op SuperStores Premier JHC – née the Lower Intermediate Championship – stands alone in terms of teams immediately contending after winning the grade below.

In three consecutive seasons, the junior A champions of the previous years carried on their momentum by winning the fifth tier at their first attempt: Lisgoold in 2021, Ballygiblin in 2022 and Erin’s Own in 2023.

It is a phenomenon which could be revived on Friday night at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh, as Kilshannig aim to follow up last year’s county junior A title by claiming the premier junior trophy.

Collecting silverware has become the norm for the north Cork outfit in recent times – the junior A football victory of 2019 was followed by intermediate A in 2022 and then the premier intermediate two years later. The quest for improvement shows no signs of slowing down: they were only narrowly beaten at the quarter-final stage of this season’s SAFC by Kilshannig.

However, rather than overshadowing hurling ambitions, the club’s football progress has acted as a help – with such a strong crossover of dual players, the ability to win tight games is certainly a transferrable skill while the high fitness levels demanded of those contending in the upper big-ball tiers can also prove advantageous.

Perhaps some of the reason for why junior A winners benefit from the surge of victory is the fact that that grade is so difficult to escape from and so there is a sense of pressure being relieved.

Kilshannig had got to the final in 2022, losing to Erin’s Own after a replay. However, while the Caherlag side’s second team went on to claim the Premier JHC and then made the IAHC decider in 2024 – losing to Lisgoold after two games – Kilshannig were unable to escape the Avondhu bearpit in either of those two years.

Having gone all the way, they showed no signs of being overawed this year in a group featuring last year’s beaten finalists Glen Rovers, a Ballygarvan team reached the semis and Nemo Rangers, who made the last four in 2024, their first year up from junior A.

Diarmuid O’Sullivan’s goal was key in the opening 1-16 to 0-16 win over Nemo and the same player netted again as the Glen were beaten by 1-25 to 0-13 as Jack Twomey and Andy Hourigan each scored five points.

That win secured knockout qualification with a game to spare – goals from O’Sullivan and Paddy Walsh gave them a 100 percent record and an automatic semi-final spot as Ballygarvan were edged by 2-23 to 2-22.

Getting the bye past the quarter-finals can be a double-edged sword, given that it lays on a four-week gap and a clash with a team coming through after a good win. Factor in disappointment of the football loss and Kilshannig could have been vulnerable as they faced an Argideen Rangers side that had beaten Ballygarvan but the response was emphatic: a 2-24 to 0-15 win in Coachford.

Once again, Diarmuid O’Sullivan raised a green flag while Jack Twomey scored 1-4 and his brother Kieran weighed in with four points, too.

There is little doubting that Kilshannig will face their biggest test to date when they clash with St Catherine’s.

The Ballynoe/Conna side were finalists in both 2023 and 2024, losing to Erin’s Own and Russell Rovers respectively – in the first of those years, Erin’s Own could not advance in Munster and so Catherine’s were able to go on and claim provincial honours before reaching the All-Ireland final in Croke Park.

While they lost there against Kilkenny’s Tullogher-Rosbercon and also fell short against Russell Rovers in the 2024 decider, they helped to build experience within the squad and that was on show as they came through a tricky-looking group featuring Cloughduv, Milford and Tracton, two of those by two points.

It meant that they had a direct route to the semis along with Kilshannig but the time out of action was far from a hindrance as Barryroe were beaten by 5-19 to 1-18 in Ballymah three weeks ago.

Their attacking quality was on full show as Brian Mulcahy and Gearóid O’Brien each scored two goals while Matthew Mulcahy also netted and Dan Mangan contributed six points.

Oisín Fitzgerald has been excellent in the Catherine’s half-back line while goalkeeper Eoin Davis has long been one of the best around, his primary duties augmented by a prodigious long-range free-taking ability.

He will hope for a quiet day but both he and opposite number David Kearney could have vital roles to play, given the strength of the respective attacking units.