BLACKROCK will be making their fifth appearance in the permanent tsb county senior hurling championship final in six years when they take on Newtownshandrum at Páirc Uí Chaoimh next Sunday.

Beaten by Imokilly in the ’98 showpiece, the Rockies bounced back the following year to lift the title for the first time since 1985.

They didn't exactly enjoy a smooth passage to the decider four years ago when they almost went under in their opening test against Avondhu, who led by by eleven points at one stage in the first-half.

A tremendous second-half comeback, however, saw Blackrock eventually finish with seven points to spare, but they were given another huge scare by St. Finbarr's in the semi-final.

Seven points adrift with about five minutes of normal time remaining, Blackrock hauled themselves back from the brink again, with a Fergal Ryan goal deep in stoppage time earning them a dramatic reprieve.

Deserving winners in the replay, the Rockies really scaled the heights in the ’99 final to dish out a 3-17 to 0-8 drubbing to a highly rated UCC side.

That performance was enough to convince most observers that Blackrock wouldn't be easily foiled when they set out to complete a first two-in-a-row for the tradition-filled city club since 1979, a year that saw current coach Timmy Murphy skipper the team to victory over the Barrs in the final.

But Blackrock were caught on the hop by a moderate Midleton side in the third round in 2000, and, no doubt, that bitter experience had the effect of strengthening their resolve to go all the way two years ago.

In any event, Blackrock returned to the top table in fairly convincing fashion, finishing 4-8 to 2-7 to the good against Imokilly in the 2001 final which was highlighted by a tour-de-force at full forward from Alan Browne, who bagged all but a goal of his side's tally.

And they scaled the summit again last year, beating Newtownshandrum in the decider, to bring the club's title haul to 32, seven more than their nearest rivals on the Roll of Honour, Glen Rovers and St. Finbarr's.

Installed as fairly warm favourites to retain their crown at the start of the current campaign, Blackrock easily negotiated all the obstacles on the way to the semi-final.

But they almost came a cropper last Sunday at Páirc Uí Chaoimh where the crossbar prevented Cloyne's Diarmuid O'Sullivan from striking a goal from a penalty with virtually the last puck of the match.

That allowed Blackrock to hold out for a 1-14 to 1-12 win, so they are now just one game away from completing the three-in-a-row, a feat that was last accomplished by St. Finbarr's in 1982.

But they will get nothing soft on Sunday from a Newtownshandrum side that, flattered to finish just five points adrift of Blackrock in the 2002 showpiece, will be all out to make amends for their disappointing display 12 months ago.

As with Blackrock, Newtown were made to battle all the way for victory over Sarsfields in a semi-final encounter that took two games to produce a conclusive result.

But they just about deserved their three-point win, 0-17 to 0-14, at Páirc Uí Chaoimh last Sunday, a result that secured their ticket to the decider for the third time in four years.

Crowned champions for the first time in 2000, Newtown were well beaten by Imokilly in the semi-final the following year.

And it could be argued that their failure to Blackrock in last year's final has removed much of the gloss from their historic triumph – achieved in the wake of the Rockies' shock elimination by Midleton – in 2000.

But perhaps Newtown, containing several of the players that were involved in the three back-to-back wins at u-21 level between 1998 and 2000, won the senior crown ahead of schedule three years ago.

And the experience gained in the meantime could well mean that Newtown's tender-aged combination is only now beginning to reach full maturity, and that the best is yet to come from the team.

By contrast, the Blackrock team has clocked up a lot of mileage over the past six years, and one wonders how much petrol is left in the tank at this stage.

Alan Cummins, who is moving to Australia, will wear the Blackrock colours for the last time next Sunday. He will be a huge loss to a side that has quite a few other players entering the twilight of their careers and who aren't getting any better at this stage.

And it would be fair to say that Blackrock's reserve strength is nothing to write home about at the moment. Taking all of that into account, it's quite conceivable that next Sunday's final appearance will amount to a last throw of the dice for this Blackrock team which is bidding to complete the club's first three-in-a-row since 1931.

Whether or not Newtownshandrum can replace them as champions on Sunday remains to be seen. But it's a fair bet that Newtown, with the memory of last year's slump still painfully vivid, will really put it up to the Rockies this time, and the probability is that there will be just a puck of a ball in at the finish.

Incidentally, it will be the first time that the same teams will be involved in successive finals since 1986 when Midleton beat Blackrock to reverse the result in the decider the previous year.