2022 Premier Senior Hurling

Delighted to see Barrs back at the top table. They're long overdue. Don't think this'll be their year though. Showed a little bit too much frailty today and almost bottled it. Rockies are that bit more battle-hardened and will probably have enough for a Barrs outfit that possibly don't quite believe as much as they should.

The bad news for all other clubs is that this is a serious Barrs team. Even if they have to lose one to win one, if they stay together, they'll be a serious force in the years ahead. If they play like they did in the first 20 minutes, they'll be completely unstoppable. It was electric stuff. The kind of champagne hurling seldom seen on a Cork field before. They really are terrifyingly good when they're in full flight.

O'Connor and Cunningham were the best on display again. Cotter, Connolly, O'Flynn and O'Mahony all on fire too. Haye was very handy when he got going.
 
This Blackrock team never know when they are beat . Louis Mulqueen has been a good addition, undecided if I agree with his comments that Pat Ryan should be looking at Cotter and Deasy , although there are many lively forwards putting their hands up this campaign . Hayes and Cunningham doing well also
 
After the drama of the final day group stages and the quarter finals which were full of tension, big hits and no little skill I found today's fare to be a damp squib. Through no fault of the Rockies or the Barrs of course. They were simply superior in all facades of their games and blew their opponents out of the water.

The physical conditioning of both these panels is something else, on most club teams the inter county players usually stand out a mile ever before a ball is pucked due to their size but both the Barrs and Rockies have really done their homework on conditioning. From 1 to 15 and beyond they look far stronger and fitter then anything I've seen in the Cork club championship before.

Both Erin's Own and Newtown tried gamely but just plain and simply weren't good enough.
Erin's Own had 6 if not 7 players playing that won the 2007 county While theirs an admirable quality to that kind of longevity, realistically its madness to think you can keep going with so many guys that have soldiered for that long and ultimately they were blown away in the second half today. I thought Robbie O Flynn to be fair to him kept going, kept trying to the bitter end and was the 1 consistent thorn in the Blackrock defence all through. Robbie Cotter is playing great stuff for the Rockies as is Tadhg Deasy.

The Barrs game is harder to analyse. It was over after 10 minutes. That red card was never a red. Given some of the hits that we've seen thus far in the championship I'd argue it wouldn't even have merited a yellow in some of the other games. It had no bearing on the result, game was done even at that early stage. Ethan Twomey player of the championship for me. Jamie Burns solid out again. Felt the Barrs did a lot of messing in the 10 minutes after Newtown went down to 14. That will worry them, they left Newtown a glimmer of hope despite being head and shoulders over them. They cannot do that against Blackrock or they'll be badly punished.

Hurlingwise It's a real pity about Ben O Connor going off to play rugby. I would absolutely love to see him develop as a hurler. What we could do with him as an inter county player.

Very excited for the final. Best 2 teams are there. Nothing between them. Too hard to call.

A penny for Pat Ryan's thoughts.
 
After the drama of the final day group stages and the quarter finals which were full of tension, big hits and no little skill I found today's fare to be a damp squib. Through no fault of the Rockies or the Barrs of course. They were simply superior in all facades of their games and blew their opponents out of the water.

The physical conditioning of both these panels is something else, on most club teams the inter county players usually stand out a mile ever before a ball is pucked due to their size but both the Barrs and Rockies have really done their homework on conditioning. From 1 to 15 and beyond they look far stronger and fitter then anything I've seen in the Cork club championship before.

Both Erin's Own and Newtown tried gamely but just plain and simply weren't good enough.
Erin's Own had 6 if not 7 players playing that won the 2007 county While theirs an admirable quality to that kind of longevity, realistically its madness to think you can keep going with so many guys that have soldiered for that long and ultimately they were blown away in the second half today. I thought Robbie O Flynn to be fair to him kept going, kept trying to the bitter end and was the 1 consistent thorn in the Blackrock defence all through. Robbie Cotter is playing great stuff for the Rockies as is Tadhg Deasy.

The Barrs game is harder to analyse. It was over after 10 minutes. That red card was never a red. Given some of the hits that we've seen thus far in the championship I'd argue it wouldn't even have merited a yellow in some of the other games. It had no bearing on the result, game was done even at that early stage. Ethan Twomey player of the championship for me. Jamie Burns solid out again. Felt the Barrs did a lot of messing in the 10 minutes after Newtown went down to 14. That will worry them, they left Newtown a glimmer of hope despite being head and shoulders over them. They cannot do that against Blackrock or they'll be badly punished.

Hurlingwise It's a real pity about Ben O Connor going off to play rugby. I would absolutely love to see him develop as a hurler. What we could do with him as an inter county player.

Very excited for the final. Best 2 teams are there. Nothing between them. Too hard to call.

A penny for Pat Ryan's thoughts.
Reckon the Rockies will win the County but think the Barrs have more players with a chance of making it inter-county.
 
congrats to R&B, Bluesball and the other Barrs supporters on here and the Rockies supporters also. I was 100% neutral today and no disrespect to either Erins Own and Newtown ( both of whom would be operating off a far smaller pick than the city clubs ) but I am absolutely delighted to see Barrs v Rockies in the final. For me this is a sign that Cork hurling is about to hit the big time once again. Two very talented teams and in the case of the Barrs especially, amazing youthfulness and energy. When you look at these two teams and then consider Sars, Midleton, Douglas, Imokilly and the Glen you have 7 teams where only a puck of the ball separates them and each one has a smattering of inter county players - it has to be good for Cork hurling and the build up to this final will be great and give lots of young lads exposure to another big game.

Who cares about the Munster club championship for now and whether either of these teams might be able for the likes of a Ballygunner. Winning in the mud and shit later on in the year is of far less relevance right now to seeing a showcase final in a fantastic pitch in the Pairc. This is a major step forward for Cork hurling in general and while there is still a lot of work to be done at inter county level if I were Pat Ryan I would be very excited about the next few years as things are moving nicely and there are plenty players putting their hand up. None of Twomey, Hayes, Ben O Connor, Deasy, Cotter, the Cashmans, Stephen Murphy, Gavin Connolly, Hennessy, Ben Cunningham and others were on the panel in 2022 and while some of them won’t make it next year either surely it has to be good for the state of the game in Cork when you see talent like this on display at club level.

Corcaigh Abu
 
As other posters have said, today's games were a bit of a damp squib with the Rockies and the Barrs well over the opposition. The luck of the draw. Both teams did what they had to do and did it very well in patches of the game. It's going to be an intriguing final.

Blackrock have improved steadily as the championship has progressed. They used their FF line much better today than the last game. The hail mary shots from out the pitch were cut down and good ball into Cotter and Connolly....especially 2nd half. Niall Cashman played some fantastic ball inside. They feel like a team trying finding the right balance all year. It looked good today.

They have moved John Cashman and Steve Murphy back into the full back line and it's made a difference to be fair. The Barrs will really test it.

The Barrs looked sensational at times today. Their youth and inexperience was probably responsible for their slacking off for a spell after the red card. They came out sharp again second half and coasted home.

I would say both teams will be each others biggest test.

How will Barrs match up with Blackrocks 2 man FF line. What do you do with Jamie Burns in that scenario. Can they stand up to Blackrocks physicality.

Can Blackrock cope with the pace and legs in the Barrs team. Can their FB line hold up again?

Both teams will take heart from their periods of dominance in the group game. Who can learn the most and perform in the final.

Real 50/50 game. Blackrock's recent experience of winning a final might stand to them but the Barrs are full of confidence and their young lads have won big with Cork teams. Hopefully a great game.
 
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