not trying to butter up R&B and Bluesball but I am delighted to see a club like the Barrs back - there was always something very crisp about the Barrs when they were going strong - the jerseys, the sharp, fast hurling, the big names, the big crowds - I think Cork hurling will benefit hugely from having the Barrs back at the top table and they play a lovely brand of hurling which mixes the long and the short - exactly what I think Pat Ryan will try to do with Cork. Newtown were good against the Glen but in some ways its a shame that Hoggy wasn't playing because he would surely have caused a 6-7 point swing and we could have had the traditional Big Three in the semi-finals. The county championship was great last year but this year has been even better and it looks like this is all part of the rebuilding process to get Cork hurling back and once we get back we will be hard to shift because there is some top class talent coming through now in the county.
I was at the Charleville NaP game on Sat and I have to compliment Charleville - I though they were absolutely superb, well coached and every player playing with their head up and again they mixed the long and the short ball. I think they should really have been challenging for a semi-final spot instead of relegation - I was hugely impressed with them and they literally ran NaP off the field. Rockies are also motoring nicely and if they cut loose they could be hard to stop with such a strong backbone of experienced players in their prime like the Cashmans, Meaney, Murphy and the likes of Connolly, Deasy, O' Halloran and Cotter taking scores. Barrs could win the county but I think Rockies are our only chance of competing with the likes of Ballygunner in Munster as Barrs are probably too young for that this year.
The team nobody is talking about now is Erins Own and they must be delighted to be sitting there listening to all the fuss about the Barrs and Rockies. Its been a brilliant championship and kudos to Kevin O' Donovan and his crew for introducing this format which has rejuvenated the game in Cork in all grades.