Agreed we have some top quality hurling talent, we could in all likelihood be a dual senior club within 10 years.
2 cork minors this year and 1/2 others that were very unlucky to miss out. The conveyor belt is in good nick in Clon.
Flush with victory and other stuff and up on my high horse I'll say the top tier in Cork is Nemo, Barrs and Haven. I know Haven haven't won the county these last few years but having watched all 3 of them over that span I can categorically say all 3 are close enough to warrant mention. If you want to put Haven in 3rd thats fine but it would take very little for some of the recent wins to head down there.
After that.. Duhallow, Douglas and Clon are in the 2nd pot of teams, but with different qualifications and trajectories. They may be close to the top of the table but in terms of quality they are a clear step below. Douglas beat Nemo last year but haven't done much else, especially in knock out games. Duhallow were firm 4th for a long time and always a tough out for the other 3. But now seem to be stepping back I think.
For Clon... you want to talk about history? 9 wins is good going on any account. Only a handful of teams are better.
You want to talk about youth? Good youth teams, players playing in Cork underage teams, that's good stuff.
Neither of these puts you at the top table *right now*. You may be at it in a few years, 2025 you might even be the unquestioned best, but that does not put you in contention with the top 3 in 2022. The final appearance is respectable but you've failed to beat any of the top 3 in spite of multiple attempts. You won't be on top until you are able to not just compete but beat the teams winning the county on a regular basis and you are not there now.
Ballincollig and Carbery both warrant mention here too along with the others as being close but I wouldn't be as familiar with their recent performances to comment in detail.
On a side note how bizarre that a team as successful as Lees folded. Think of all the suff around Redmonds folding but Lees folded with 12 county wins. Is there any other club team so successful that folded?
