SAHC: Erin's Own embracing opportunity

Since the change in format for the Cork county championships in 2020, only a few hurling clubs have responded to relegation with immediate promotion.

Glen Rovers did so in the senior A grade in 2024 and then Aghabullogue managed such a feat at intermediate A level last year. Now, Erin’s Own – the side beaten by the Glen for their last top-tier county final win before the current season – are looking to effect a similar bounce back.

Having lost to Newtownshandrum following a replay in last year’s premier senior relegation play-off, the Caherlag club had a good spring as they secured promotion from Division 2 of the RedFM Hurling League and carried that form into the senior A championship.

They went three from three in the group stage to directly advance to the semi-finals and there they put on a strong showing against Watergrasshill to set up a local derby clash with Carrigtwohill in Sunday’s final.

With plenty of players in the squad carrying experience of big occasions, manager Brendan O’Riordan is expecting his team to relish the opportunity.

“There's a good couple of lads there who were part of the team that made it to the county final in 2016,” he said.

“We have a squad of around 30 and, of those, I think 11 of them are U21 but then you’ve also got the older lads who played in finals.

“I’m sure it’ll be a bit of an occasion for everybody – there’ll be nerves and things like that, a lot on the line for both clubs.

“But loo, what do they say, pressure is a privilege – it’d be a lot worse if you weren’t there so you have to keep things in perspective.”

Perspective can be in short supply when a final brings together neighbouring clubs, but there can also be an extra energy – for instance, on Friday night an ‘Up For The Match’-type event takes place in Knockraha, which proceeds going to Marymount Hospice.

“I suppose it does add a little bit extra to it,” O’Riordan says of the rivalry.

“I was even down in Carrigtwohill there now last week for the U21 match, you see the flags and the cars painted and all that.

“Some of the players then would be would be bumping into different people from Carrigtwohill and you hear stories and rumours flying around and all the rest of it, which you probably wouldn't get if you were playing somebody from a different side of the city or a different part of the county.

“From the management's perspective, it's just another game you have to prepare for and it doesn't make that much of a difference really yeah – maybe for the players, it probably does because some will have gone to school with the Carrig lads, so there’s an extra bit of rivalry.”

Erin’s Own’s win over Watergrasshill came on the same evening as Carrigtwohill beat Blarney – the blue double over red opposition will have been more than four weeks ago by the time the ball is thrown in on Sunday.

Due to the colour-clash, Erin’s Own will be in their red change kit – the fact that both teams have had the same wait acts as a leveller.

“There was a number of different dates on the master calendar so you weren't really 100 percent sure whether it was going to be two weeks or four weeks,” O’Riordan says.

“I suppose two weeks is kind of the ideal break for everybody, four weeks is a bit long and it's very difficult then when you can't get challenge matches either, it just makes the period feel extra-long.

“There’s a bit of fatigue at the end of the year, trying to keep the training going, but it is a bit easier when it is a final to look forward to.”