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 The Corkman 8th Jan 2004 | ||||
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THE likelihood is that Newtownshandrum and Blackrock will head the ante-post betting on the 2004 permanent tsb county senior hurling championship.
But it is by no means a two-horse race, and several teams, most notably Sarsfields, Erin’s Own and Cloyne, showed sufficiently encouraging form last year to suggest that they possess the potential to disturb the dominance enjoyed by Newtown and the Rockies since 1999.
It will be recalled that Blackrock beat UCC in the final to bridge a 15-year gap that year, and, following the unexpected defeat at Midleton’s hands in 2002, they were replaced as champions by Newtown.
Coming just three years after they had stepped up from intermediate ranks, Newtown’s historic achievement was worthy of the utmost admiration. And, after narrowly defeating Erin’s Own in the decider, Newtown completed the three-in-a-row at under 21 level in 2000, fuelling speculation that they wouldn’t have to wait too long before collecting a second senior crown.
Newtown were well beaten by Imokilly, however, in the 2001 semi-final and they found Blackrock a bit too hot to handle in the final the following year. But they gained sweet revenge in last year’s showpiece to deny the Rockies a 33rd title, and their first three-in-a-row since 1931.
In the process, Newtown showed that they had matured and developed considerably since making the initial breakthrough.And, having gone all the way in Munster by virtue of victories over Tipperary’s Toomevara and Limerick’s Patrickswell, they will be hoping to become the first team from Leeside to lift the All-Ireland crown since Midleton in 1987 before they begin the defence of the county title this year.
Irrespective of how their quest for national honours unfolds, however, it can be safely said that Newtown will be very keen to break new ground again by putting two county titles back-to-back in 2004.
On the face of it, Newtown have been handed a relatively easy first round draw against CIT. But they have been notoriously slow starters in the championship over the past few years, and indeed their first game as title-holders ended in defeat by St. Finbarr’s in 2001.
They weren’t particularly impressive when beating Sarsfields in their opening outing in 2002, and they were certainly fortunate to finish with a point to spare over Midleton in the first round last year.
For all that, it would be a major shock if Newtown were forced to bow to CIT, and, even if they did slip up in that match, they would still be expected to qualify for the last 16 at the expense of either Castlelyons or Delanys in the second round losers group.
Blackrock’s failure to Newtown last year has caused many to wonder if the slide had begun for a team that has contested five county finals and won three titles since 1998.
But it would be foolish to dismiss the Rockies as a spent force just yet, and they are bound to command a lot of respect as they attempt to return to the top table in the year ahead.
They will be strongly fancied to account for Killeagh in the first round, with the losers of that game taking on either Sars of Douglas.
Sars went under by just three points to Newtown in a semi-final replay last year and they made it to the last four in 2002 when they lost by the same margin to eventual champions Blackrock.
It means that they will go into the 2004 championship with fairly impressive credentials. And they shouldn’t have too much difficulty in overcoming a Douglas side that was soundly thrashed by both Erin’s Own and Na Piarsaigh before making their exit from the championship at the hands of 2002 intermediate kingpins Delanys last year.
Erin’s Own, pipped by a point by Sars in a third round replay last year, are also entitled to be optimistic about their prospects in 2004, especially since all-time great Brian Corcoran has indicated that he is ready to come out of retirement to assist their cause.
There is no disputing that Corcoran, at 30, still has a lot to offer at club level, and his return to the fold would surely hasten the development of an Erin’s Own side that is backboned by players who shared in the club’s success at under 21 level over the past two years.
Erin’s Own will face a tricky opening assignment against UCC, but, on their best form, they should advance and avoid what could prove to be a difficult second round clash with either Cloyne or Glen Rovers.
Winners of the intermediate title in 1997, Cloyne enjoyed their best run in the senior championship last year when, after trouncing Ballyhea in a first round replay, they collected the scalps of St. Finbarr’s and Avondhu before going agonisingly close to flooring Blackrock in the semi-final.
But it remains to be seen if Cloyne can keep the momentum going in what promises to be a defining year for the team in 2004.
Their encounter with the Glen is sure to arouse a lot of interest and a good display in that game would go a long way towards convincing the doubters that they have finally arrived as a force to be reckoned with in the top flight.
After making things very hard for Blackrock in a third round game in 2002, the Barrs were rated as genuine contenders for ultimate honours last year But after limping to victory over Killeagh in the first round, they bowed out to Cloyne and only time will tell if they can put that disappointment behind them and make a bold bid for the title in the year ahead.
To have Jimmy Barry-Murphy at the helm will certainly be no load to the team. And the Barrs must be in with a fair chance of coming through their first test which will be provided by a Midleton side that, after their good showing against Newtown, shaded the issue against Glen Rovers only to have their limitations glaringly exposed by Blackrock in last year’s quarter-final.
The last club side, apart from Newtown and Blackrock, to lift the county senior hurling title was Na Piarsaigh in 1995. But they have struggled to make a worthwhile impact in the meantime, and they were on the receiving end of a drubbing from Imokilly in the third round last year.
With the departure of Setanta Ó hAilpín to Aussie Rules football, it seems reasonable to conclude that Na Piarsaigh will finish among the also-rans again this year.
But, with Cork senior panelists Seán Óg Ó hAilpín, John Gardiner and Mark Prendergast on board, they should have the experience to handle 2003 intermediate winners Bride Rovers in the first round.
My guess is that the four games in the second round losers group will feature CIT against Castlelyons, Glen Rovers against UCC, Douglas against Killeagh, and Midleton against Bride Rovers.
And CIT, UCC, Killeagh and Bride Rovers could be the clubs joining Newtown, Delanys, Cloyne, Erin’s Own, Sars, Blackrock, the Barrs and Midleton in the last 16 which will be completed by the two teams that will emerge from the divisional section.
Although Avondhu, champions in ’96, and Imokilly, back-to-back title winners in ’97 and ’98, aren’t nearly as formidable as they were in the mid-nineties, they have remained the most consistent of the divisional teams over the past few seasons. And, drawn apart in the divisional section, they get my vote to complete the line-up for the third round this year.
No doubt, there will be a few unexpected results in the 2004 championship, but Newtownshandrum and Blackrock look the two best-balanced sides in the competition in my book.
Lack of real power in attack proved Sars undoing against Blackrock and Newtown in 2002 and 2003 respectively. And the probability is that the Riverstown side will fall a little bit short again unless they can unearth a couple of quality forwards this year.
As I’ve said, there is no guarantee that Cloyne can repeat the heroics of last year, so, taking everything into account, one is reluctant to look beyond either Newtown or Blackrock when it comes to predicting the likely championship winners for 2004.
At the same time, however, there was ample evidence last year to suggest that Newtown and Blackrock aren’t too far ahead of the chasing pack. And any punter prepared to look elsewhere for the 2004 champions could do worse than to throw a few bob on the up-and-coming Erin’s own in my view.
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www.newtownshandrum.com | ||||