Seánie McGrath: Sars must show steel to keep Cork crown

It was so interesting to hear McNulty spell out the detail he dove into to make sure he had Canavan matched in every area, how he studied his movement, his aerial ability, his ability to take possession on the ground, even what way he’d swivel coming up off the ground.

It was incredible micro detail.

Sars manager Johnny Crowley strikes me as a guy that would be similarly forensic. So while Johnny and Sars will have an overall game-plan, I reckon there was a fair chunk of the past fortnight spent delving into the various match-ups.

Most clubs will have two, maybe three real sharpshooters. Imokilly aren't most clubs. They have six sharpshooters.

Sars have to plan for Seamie Harnedy along the 45 and then there is that spread of emerging talent in Diarmuid Healy, Jack Leahy, Adam Murphy, and Sean Desmond. And the one forward we haven’t mentioned is the ultra-experienced Brian Lawton who landed five from play against the Rockies.

So, as you can see, Johnny and his defenders have a job on their hands.

For all of Lawton’s guile, for all Desmond’s progress, and for all the excitement surrounding Healy and the expectation he will be an important Cork senior in the years ahead, it still boils down to Harnedy. He is the Canavan of this Imokilly attack. He is the one Johnny should have studied in greatest detail.

I was at the Imokilly-Muskerry divisions/colleges section final. The small crowd meant you could hear everything. Seamie never stopped giving encouragement to those around him. That hunger and leadership must be so infectious to the younger lads feeding off him.

I expect Harnedy to again be at centre-forward and so I expect Eoghan Murphy to pick him up, with a seventh Sars man at the back in and around him. For puckouts, they will swarm him with blue shirts.

And on the occasions when Harnedy does beat his opposite number, Sars’ utility man, Daniel Kearney, will attempt to have slipped back and be in place for that break.

Communication will be huge. Going back to McNulty, he mentioned how he'd be in regular conversation with Kieran McGeeney outside him. So while Johnny will detail someone for Seamie, their joined-up approach also needs to be on the money.

Down the other end of Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Jack O’Connor will attempt to take Ciarán Joyce out of the No 6 slot. It’s that Tony Kelly dilemma. Do you stick or twist? I don’t see Ciarán budging.

Jack’s performance dipped a little against Midleton, which is no bad thing. He’ll now be even hungrier heading in on Sunday. Plus, Jack will feel he still has so much to offer Cork. No better shop window than a county final to prove to management that you're worthy of inclusion.

Imokilly are strong in every line, but I've a feeling Sars will go after and at their full-back line. Robbie Cotter shook a bit of change out of them the last day, even if the Rockies couldn’t find a goal from play.

If they really want to test the Imokilly full-back line, move Jack in there altogether and bring James Sweeney to centre-forward. James is so well thought of out in Sars. Does a power of work. He’d put aerial pressure on Joyce to create breaking ball for Cian Darcy and Kearney to sweep onto and get deliveries in.

Their spread of scorers is better than 12 months ago. Daniel Hogan and Shane O’Regan are contributing more, while Aaron Myers has come back in at precisely the right time.

Sars will want to achieve the back-to-back the previous group never could. They’ll want to get Johnny Crowley into a very small group of managers to mastermind three Cork hurling titles.

If the Sars defenders live by and execute the old-school mantra that ‘I’m not losing my one-on-one contest today and my man isn’t getting more than a point or two’, they have a chance.

But Imokilly are just so incredibly strong all over that if they break even in their full-back line, they’ll finish as champions.

I see the divisional debate has somewhat reared its head this week. My position is fairly simple: I don't have a problem with divisions competing.

Harnedy’s St Ita’s were recently beaten in the East Cork junior semi-final. They’ll operate in that same sixth tier again next year. Club hurlers operating at that level and every level below Senior A are entitled to an opportunity to play Premier Senior.

Imokilly only have five county titles, so I’d question the debate in the first place.

There’s always been a direct correlation between Cork clubs going well and the Cork seniors doing likewise. We’ve represented ourselves so poorly in the Munster Club the last 15 years. Instead of arguing the merit of divisional involvement in the county championship, if divisions were allowed to participate in the provincial series, would that benefit Cork?

We’ve left ourselves short on space to discuss the Senior A decider. Ferocious pressure in either corner. Blarney don’t want to lose a second successive final and the Glen don’t want to spend a second longer in Senior A than this first season down.

The reality for the Glen is they do need to go back up. They’ve had a lot of underage success. Premier Senior is the best grade to bring that crop through.

Páirc Uí Chaoimh suits Blarney. If the Glen defence isn’t on guard, Blarney will seriously trouble them with their speed and ability to create space. Beyond Shane Barrett and Padraig Power, Cian Barrett and Cathal McCarthy have hit 4-8 and 2-12 respectively.

The outside coaches in either camp, Gavin O’Mahony with Blarney and Tommy Dunne with the Glen, speaks to how serious they both are about being part of the top-flight in 2025.

I’m going with the Glen to be part of the 2025 Premier Senior draw. The Castlelyons scare will have done them a tonne of good. You’ve the experience of Hoggie, Brian Moylan, Dean Brosnan, and Stephen McDonnell blending nicely with Luke Horgan, Eoin Varian, Rhys Dunne, and the Downeys. That mix can get them back to where they came from.