Sars shackled with responsibility for ending Cork clubs' dreadful record in Munster
Hard Rock A The Place: Between And
The 2023 version required only minor tweaking. Same as it was last year and the year before that.
Every 12 months, the job is nothing more than to add an extra defeat onto the losing run and proceed to repaint the same lamentable picture as before.
It being the middle of November and the local scene concluded, the lamenting can only be centred on Cork hurling’s dreadful Munster senior club record.
It is a record and staggering run of defeats that runs completely counter to the bounty of provincial silverware collected by junior and intermediate sides from the county stretching right the way back.
In the past six editions of the Munster intermediate club championship, Castlelyons, Fr O’Neill’s, Charleville, and Kanturk have ensured the honours went back to Cork on all bar two occasions.
In the past 13 editions of the Munster junior club championship, a Cork outfit has climbed the steps on 10 occasions, including the last five.
And then we come to the top grade. No Cork winner across the past 13 editions of the Munster senior club championship. Only one Cork finalist across those 13 most recent editions. Only a single solitary victory by a Cork club across those 13 editions. In essence, one win going all the way back to 2009.
Brutal, baffling, and whatever other label you fancy branding it.
Sars are the latest to be shackled with responsibility for reserving the losing run. They re-enter the provincial arena this Sunday not as Cork champions, but as Cork representatives.
It is the fourth time since 2017 that Cork’s representatives have not been their champions, owing to Imokilly’s ineligibility beyond county borders. None of the previous three occasions ended in victory.
One of them, in fact, ended in a 22-point battering for Blackrock.
Twelve months ago, the size of the battering handed out to Sars was 17-points strong. It is because of 12 months ago and their being thoroughly outplayed by Ballygunner that Sars are far more concerned with their own Munster record than delivering Cork presence in the provincial decider for only the second time since 2009.
“I said to the lads last Saturday morning at training that when Ballygunner beat us 12 months ago, it took nine months for us to get that out of our system,” said Sars manager Johnny Crowley.
“We underperformed in that game but had no opportunity to play a game immediately after and get rid of it. It is a complete flip this time in that you lost a county final a few weeks ago and you have an opportunity now to get a victory again, and that might alleviate some of the county final hurt.
“The Cork record is not something we can control. We have only been in Munster once in the last 10 years, so we can't control what happened in all the other years.
"As manager, it would be cheap of me to say, we are going out representing [Cork], we have to represent ourselves first and foremost. We have to go out and represent the club.
“We as a club have never been in a Munster final, so that is an added incentive for us. We have to go out and perform for ourselves and see if we can get the performance we are looking for.”
They as a club have a provincial record that stands as a microcosm for the county as a whole. A 2008 quarter-final victory over Clonlara that was followed by defeats to De La Salle, two weeks later, De La Salle, again, two years later, Thurles Sarsfields in 2012, Kilmallock in 2014, and last year’s aforementioned bruising by Ballygunner.
The ingredients for a very rare Sars victory and a very rare victory by Cork representatives are at hand this Sunday, if Crowley’s men can bring them all together.
Home advantage. Opposition that isn’t Ballygunner, or, indeed, any other established Munster force of late. That is to pay no disrespect to Feakle. That is to simply state the facts.
The facts, with regard to Cork’s dreadful record, is that Newtownshandrum’s 2009 provincial final win - the club’s third in six years - has taken on almost Mount Rushmore status given the fallowness that continues to follow it.
For finals reached, Cork has fared worse than every other county in the province in the interim 15 years. Glen Rovers overcoming Patrickswell in 2016 to reach a decider they came out on the wrong side of stands as the lone Munster final appearance by a Cork club in that 15-year period.
Along with Sars, Carrigtwohill, Midleton thrice, Blackrock, Glen Rovers twice, and the Barrs have all entered and then promptly exited the Munster club arena.
Are we to require only minor tweaking of this piece in 12 months time?
Sarsfields - lost 0-9 to 2-20 to Ballygunner, quarter-final
St Finbarr's - lost 0-14 to 1-12 to Ballyea, semi-final
Midleton - lost 1-9 to 0-19 to Kilmallock, semi-final
Blackrock - Competition wasn’t played
Glen Rovers - lost 3-8 to 1-17 to Borris-Ileigh, semi-final
Midleton - lost 2-13 to 1-18 to Ballygunner, quarter-final
Blackrock - lost 0-10 to 2-26 to Na Piarsaigh, semi-final
Glen Rovers - lost 2-10 to 1-21 to Ballyea, final
Glen Rovers - lost 1-9 to 0-19 to Ballygunner, semi-final
Sarsfields - lost 3-22 to 3-20 to Kilmallock, semi-final (aet)
Midleton - lost 1-13 to 1-17 to Sixmilebridge, semi-final
Sarsfields - lost 2-15 to 2-20 to Thurles Sarsfields, semi-final
Carrigtwohill - lost 1-10 to 0-19 to Crusheen, semi-final
Sarsfields - lost 2-15 to 0-22 to De La Salle, semi-final (aet)
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