Star Sport’s Matthew Hurley playing his part in Sars’ hurlers run to the All-Ireland final
WHEN I was asked to get involved in Sarsfields’ hurling stats team last May, little did I know I’d be looking forward to an All-Ireland club final in Croke Park this weekend, but here we are.
Sars face Dublin side Na Fianna in the AIB All-Ireland club senior hurling final at GAA HQ this Sunday (1.30pm), live on TG4, and it’s a huge occasion for the club and Cork hurling.
I was asked to come on board with Sars by manager Johnny Crowley, and my first game involved was last June against Fr O’Neills in the county senior hurling league. And that’s when my story with Sars began. From home in Ballinascarthy to Croke Park this Sunday, it wasn’t a story I thought was even possible 12 months ago.
The Sars management team got in touch after viewing stats I produced on games in 2023 on my own social media accounts; anyone that knows me will know that stats are a particular passion of mine. Fast forward to now, and the club from Glanmire is preparing for their first-ever All-Ireland senior final.
It’s important to mention and note the great job Crowley has done with this Sars side, along with his team of Diarmuid O’Sullivan, Eoin Quigley, Joe Barry and Darren Kenneally. Crowley came in for the 2023 season and has now won two senior hurling leagues, a county premier senior hurling title, a Munster senior crown and is now one win away from an All-Ireland title.
It is a privilege to help out in the Sars’ backroom team, working alongside statistician Harry Ormond and performance analyst Tom Holohan. And this campaign has been incredible so far.
The 1-25 to 1-17 win against Feakle from Clare in the Munster senior club semi-final was important on a number of levels, including boosting the morale of the team in terms of showing that they can compete at provincial level. That was the first win by any Cork club in the Munster Club SHC since Glen Rovers beat Patrickswell from Limerick in 2016. That was too long to wait, and Cork club hurling needed this win too.
Then came the Munster final triumph against Waterford’s Ballygunner (3-20 to 2-19), which was just special. For context, this was a Ballygunner team going for four Munster championships in a row; they had won four of the last five Munster titles. No club had ever achieved the three-in-a-row in this competition, nevermind four. Sars’ players put in an unreal performance and showed immense belief, a trait that has been evident all season long.
Slaughtneil from Derry provided a massive test in the All-Ireland semi final but Sars still found an answer, winning 0-18 to 0-17. Sars are the first Cork club to qualify for an All-Ireland senior final since Newtownshandrum in 2006. Again, that seems like a long time ago.
From a Cork point of view, our hurlers are making an impact at all levels.
Pat Ryan’s senior inter-county side reached the 2024 All-Ireland final where they lost by just a point after extra time to Clare but beat five-in-a-row chasing Limerick twice in the championship.
In the club scene, all three Cork representatives have reached All-Ireland finals in their grades: Sars at senior level, Watergrasshill in intermediate and Russell Rovers in junior. With Watergrasshill winning the intermediate All-Ireland last weekend, it has added to the success that Cork hurling has had in recent times. Add in All-Ireland triumphs at U20 level (2021 and 2023) and minor level (2021) and the production line of players is there.
Outside noise may argue that Cork need a trophy at senior inter-county level to reap the fruits of their improvement. That is true, the Rebels haven’t won a Munster championship since 2018, a national league since 1998 or the Liam MacCarthy Cup since 2005. But given the recent success of underage county teams and now Cork clubs, the signs are encouraging. Sars can give Cork hurling another huge boost this weekend. It’s been an honour to help out with this Sars group and hopefully there will be an All-Ireland coming back to Glanmire on Sunday evening.
