BY SEÁN HOLLAND
WITH the final round of the Cork premier senior hurling championship approaching, all eyes will be fixed on the eagerly-anticipated clash between Newcestown and St Finbarr’s in Cloughduv on Sunday (4pm).
With both teams still without a win, the stakes are high as they look to avoid a relegation playoff. While Cork hurling star Luke Meade acknowledges the challenges Newcestown has faced, there's a quiet confidence in his voice as he looks ahead to their battle on Sunday.
Reflecting on recent performances, Meade is candid about the team's journey into the premier senior grade.
‘We’ve actually played fairly well the last few games in the hurling. The Fr O’Neills game, we were very unlucky. Maybe we threw it away in a way. We were leading comfortably, and then we just didn’t kick on. We probably should have won that,’ Meade admits.
The last outing against Blackrock was another tough pill to swallow. Despite what the 3-17 to 0-21 scoreline might suggest, Meade feels that his team gave it their all.
‘I suppose people would look at that scoreline, and they might have said it was an easy win for Blackrock, but we actually played fairly well. Fellas gave it their all,’ he says,
‘Look, the step up in class is definitely fairly evident. Like when the first goal went in, the ball just took an awful break and fell to Alan Connolly, and within a flash, I turned around and the ball was in the back of the net. You just don't get away with anything really. Teams will punish you for any bit of a lack of concentration or a mistake or anything.’
Meade, who has seen the intensity of top-tier hurling firsthand through his experiences with Cork, is well aware of the difference in levels. He notes that even his teammates are beginning to notice the nuances that separate the top teams.
‘I just think it’s everything really. The speed of the play is the main one,’ Meade explains.
‘In hurling, especially, you definitely don't get time on the ball to look up and pick out a perfect pass or anything like that. You're always under pressure. Just the overall skill level is a step up, you can't leave anyone off and the lads can see that too. Like last year, maybe, there might have been games where other teams might have got chances and didn't take them. Whereas in this grade, if you're leaving fellas off and you're thinking, he will miss this or saying “thank God that went wide”, it’s not the case. It's straight over the bar, you just can't take a break. So just the speed of everything really is the difference’.
Meade is bullish in his mentality that Newcestown is not just content to be part of the competition, they're here to compete. As they prepare to face St Finbarrs, a team they've had mixed results against in the past, Meade is resolute in his belief that they can rise to the occasion.
‘We're lucky enough that we've been here before. We played the Barrs before. We played them in the very first game in 2016, lost the match in extra time. And then we played him a couple of years later in 2018 and beat them,’ he recalls.
‘We're definitely out on a mission to get past them. It's not as if we're in awe of them. We're not here to make up the numbers. We want to have a right crack off them and I’m sure everyone here will be doing their best to make sure we get the result.’
As they gear up for what promises to be a thrilling encounter, it's clear that Meade and his Newcestown teammates are ready to leave it all on the field. Whether they emerge victorious or not, one thing is certain, they won’t go down without a fight.
