Evening Echo, October 13, 2003

Cork will have a new captain next. Ben O’Connor or Pat Mulcahy will take over from Alan Browne, when the Munster champions set about taking the important final stride towards All-Ireland glory. There will also be a change in the five-man selection committee as Blackrock’s Donal Collins steps aside fro Newtownshandrum’s nominee, whoever that me be.

Apart from those changes, did anything else happen yesterday to suggest Cork coach Donal O’Grady can add to the existing panel of players? Who has his hand in the air, trying to attract the attentions of the “muinteoir,” calling out: “Pick me, pick me, sir”? The final duly showed up the old reliables – Wayne Sherlock, O’Connor and Mulcahy as being considerable distance in front of the challengers.

If the Rockies had won there’s no doubt Sherlock would have benn odds-n favourite for the man-of-the-match award and Cork skipper for a second time. It will represent one of the greatest acts of injustice if he doesn’t get an All Star this season, because, yet again, Sherlock showed himself to be a class apart as a corner back.

O’Connor’s 10-point contribution was highly influential in Newtownshandrum’s victory as was the display of Mulcahy at centre-back. The latter was strong, authoritative and assured throughout in what is seen as his best position, With Ronan Curran blossoming in the pivotal role, Mulcahy has to be content with a corner-back role, a duty he performed well against DJ Carey in the All-Ireland final last month.

That trio apart, ho else could you say is in the frame? Paul Tierney has his admirers for midfield, one of the areas that Cork haven’t nailed down with any degree of conviction. The Blackrock player showed flashes of what he brings to the party, strength, good striking and a couple of points, including an audacious one from a sideline cut in the seventh minute to open his side’s account yesterday.

O’Connor’s twin brother Jerry also performed well at midfield, using his impressive speed and stickwork to carve out openings for others, suggesting he could have a part to play in a county jersey too.

One other player caught my eye. I was amazed to find out that Newtown full-forward James Bowles is still playing in the minor grade. Apparently, he was in and out of the Cork minor panel and while the next couple of seasons might be a touch premature for promotion, there’s no denying Bowles is definitely a name for the future. Not too many players grab a brace of points from the abrasive Noel Keane in a county final. For Bowles to achieve this suggests a promising career in years to come.

As for the game itself Newtown captain John McCarthy must have sensed victory after winning the toss for the second time in a row. The corner-back maintained his preference for playing against the wind from the start and with a 0-7 to 0-6 interval lead Newtown were poised to avenge last year’s defeat.

It was clear that the Newtown backroom team spent many a late might planning what way they’d start their team. McCarthy said they identified Blackrock’s backbone as the quintet from right half-back to midfield and accordingly devised a plan to dilute its influence.

“We packed our five- left half-forward to midfield – with really strong, fast and athletic players and decided to go for the jugular. Run the Rockies off their feet and that’s what happened,” he declared. People were surprised to see Ben O’Connor at centre-forward, confronted by Alan Cummins, though he did move to full-forward for a spell in the first half where Sherlock picked him up. Earlier the Rockies switched Fergal Ryan from left half-back to the centre to try and curb O’Connor’s immense threat.

So what about Blackrock and this three-in-a-row jinx? It struck again with a vengeance as they tried to complete a hat-trick for the first time since the 1929-31 sequence. Even the great Rockies team of the 1970’s and early ‘80s failed to win it three times on the bounce, having won in 1971, ’73, ’75 and in ’78 and ’79 as well.

Some things, it seems, are just not meant to be! As for Newtown, they now become the fifth team to win the county twice, joining UCC, Sarsfields, Na Piarsaigh and Imokilly. They are a long way off Blackrock at the head of the roll of honour with 32 titles, but for today and the rest of the winter, Newtown won’t give a damn.