Changes to the Cork hurling panel plus football joy for Barrs, Knocknagree and Buttevant
The Echo Sport PodcastShow Notes
Another bumper weekend of action saw football silverware handed out at Premier Senior, Senior A and Premier Junior level though the Senior A hurling decider will have to be replayed and the Echo Podcast crew reviews the action.
Buttevant ended 99 years of hurt to collect an adult county title with a terrific display that left underdogs St Nicks too much to do in the Premier Junior final. The Avondhu outfit had been favourites for glory before a ball was thrown in but it was still admirable how slick they were in the Páirc.
Their ability to nail two-pointers, clipping four, was a crucial difference while Conor Hanlon and Mark Lenahan nailed the big scores and former All-Ireland winning Cork minor Michael O'Neill grabbed the goal.
Knocknagree completed their remarkable rise from Junior A in 2017 to the top tier as their blistering start left Cill na Martra with too much to do. Defeat in two previous Senior A deciders no doubt had John Fintan Daly's charges tuned in from the off.
In the marquee match on Sunday afternoon, St Finbarr's recovered from the concession of a first-half goal to end their county final hoodoo against Nemo, with Brian Hayes' green flag vital to their cause. Hayes offered another reminder of what a loss he is to Cork football by collecting Man of the Match.
The finish was nail-biting. Conor Horgan landed a boomer to level, sub Cillian Meyers Murray clipped the lead score and only the post denied Horgan, condemning Nemo to a third defeat in a row when it looked like a replay was on the cards.
In the SAHC final, Bride Rovers and Castlelyons will meet again next Saturday night after a tense 0-14 apiece stalemate.
Also on the hurling front, Ben O'Connor and his management team have been reshaping their training panel, with the likes of Luke Meade and Conor Lehane, who is injured anyway, making way for some fresh blood in Jack Leahy, Daire O'Leary, Hugh O'Connor, Brian O'Sullivan and more..
The Echo Podcast crew also look at how the action is progressing at divisional level.
There's a bit to run in terms of county finals as well, with another busy schedule of games coming up as we head into November.
Now in its third season, every week Éamonn Murphy is joined by The Echo team, including Barry O’Mahony, Denis Hurley, Rory Noonan, Jack McKay, John Horgan and more to discuss all the latest Cork GAA news on and off the field.
You can listen to the Echo Sport Podcast every week wherever you get your podcasts or on www.echolive.ie/podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from The Echo Sport Podcast
The Echo Sport Podcast crew breaks down the Premier Senior and Premier Intermediate Hurling finals on this week's show, as well as previewing a busy Bank Holiday weekend as the Cork GAA season hits its thrilling conclusion. The big prizes on Sunday afternoon went to Glen Rovers and Ballincollig. Neither game fully caught fire but the Glen won't care after edging the first county final against the Barrs in 38 years thanks to a pair of Eoin O'Leary goals and a steady showing overall. O'Leary's haul of 2-2 took him to 5-13 for the season and surely on the radar of the Cork selectors. The Glen were just that bit better balanced than the Barrs, who did have a late shout for a penalty to force a draw, and it was a sweet victory after being relegated in 2023. It also atoned for county final losses in 2018, '19 and '20. Barrs were 0-12 to 0-10 up at the break having finished the first half well but O'Leary's opening goal turned the tide. Patrick Horgan finished with 0-3 from play but so too did midfielder Rhys Dunne. Ethan Twomey clipped a staggering 0-5 from play in the second half for the Barrs but it wasn't enough. Ballincollig were a point down at half-time against Dungourney after a slow start but took control in the second half to make up for losing the PIHC final 12 months ago to Ballinhassig. Adam Wills rifled the goal, his brother Stephen Willis picked up Man of the Match for his clinical shooting from play while Theo Morgan and Cian O'Driscoll nailed 0-3 apiece. In defence, James Dwyer, Ross O'Donovan, Barry Coleman and Fenton Denny were also immense. It's a blend of hurling and football next weekend, with the Premier Junior Hurling final on Friday night pairing St Catherine's and Kilshannig. On Sunday afternoon, there's a football double-header, Cobh versus Canovee at Premier Junior, followed by champions St Finbarr's against great rivals Nemo Rangers in a repeat of last year's Premier Senior decider. Now in its fourth season, every Monday, Éamonn Murphy is joined by The Echo team, including Barry O’Mahony, Denis Hurley, Rory Noonan, John Horgan and more to discuss all the latest Cork GAA news on and off the field. You can listen on Echolive.ie/podcast or anywhere you get your podcasts. Don’t forget to log onto www.IrishExaminer.com as well to catch up on their analysis including The Replay, the new highlights show anchored by Seanie McGrath, Dalo’s Hurling Show and The Gaelic Football Show. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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