Preview by Denis Hurley (The Echo)

The 2022 Co-op SuperStores Premier IHC final went to a replay and last year’s senior A hurling decider did so too, while the 2020 premier senior hurling final – the first year of the new championship system – went to extra time.

In contrast, however, the first four years since the restructuring had not required a second day out in any of the top four (2020-22 inclusive) or five (2023 onwards) football grades – a total of 17 finals, with the Premier JFC and IAFC deciders last weekend producing winners before Aghabullogue and Kilshannig played out a draw.

With such a quick turnaround time, there will have been little for the two clubs to do this week beyond recovery and so a close game should surely be in prospect once more. Ideally, it would be of the same quality as the drawn match, where both sides approached the game positively, making for an entertaining hour of football.

As with any draw, each side will have a feeling that they should have won but, equally, they will surely know that it would not have taken a lot to have ended up on the losing side.

While the majority of the first half was even, points from John Corkery and Pádraic O’Sullivan sent Aghabullogue in at half-time with a 0-7 to 0-5 lead and the Coachford side then looked set to push on in the second half.

They had moved 0-10 to 0-7 in front by the time Corkery struck for a goal and a six-point lead, but Kilshannig were never going to allow their challenge to peter out, certainly not in a final.

Four points in a row, two each from Darragh O’Sullivan and Diarmuid O’Sullivan, were the immediate response to the setback and then Alan O’Connell’s goal had them in front before Éanna O’Hanlon’s point left two in it.

But Aghabullogue came again – David Thompson halved the lead and then Corkery levelled, 1-12 each, before Aaron O’Sullivan and Luke Casey had them in the driving seat as the clock moved into the red.

And yet, Kilshannig would not relent. Twice, Darragh O’Sullivan was called upon to kick pressure frees and twice he delivered, ensuring that the sides would have to do it all over again.

The winners – and one of the teams will be lifting the trophy this evening – will go straight into an AIB Munster Club IFC clash next weekend against the Limerick champions. Whichever it is should be well primed.

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Co Op Superstores Intermediate ‘A’ Hurling Final preview by Denis Hurley (The Echo)

Last year, Erin’s Own followed a path that had been laid out for them over the previous two years; this time around, they are ploughing a new furrow.

Lisgoold won the delayed 2020 Co-op SuperStores Cork JAHC title in August 2021 and  they followed it three months later with what was then known as the Lower IHC title.

That same autumn saw Ballygiblin claim the junior honours and they too straight through what had been renamed as the Premier JHC (a shift which allowed the north Cork outfit to represent the county in Munster and the All-Ireland two years running, losing the national final of 2022-23 before going a step further the following season).

Following Ballygiblin as the junior champions were Erin’s Own’s second team, beating Kilshannig after a replay – surely lightning couldn’t strike twice a third time? Well, it did as they beat St Catherine’s in the 2023 Premier JHC decider and their run has not yet ended.

In 2022, Lisgoold’s quest for a third straight championship win ended with a semi-final defeat to Cloughduv, after extra time, while last year Ballygiblin fell to Blackrock at the quarter-final stage.

Erin’s Own have kept going, though. Wins over Kildorrery and then the Rockies in the group stage meant that they had first place secured with a game to spare and, while defeat to Bandon in the final match was disappointing as it denied them an automatic semi-final spot, it was not fatal.

Mayfield were their quarter-final opponents at Ballymaw. While Daniel O’Gorman had an early goal for the northsiders, points from Cathal Lenihan were allied to a Tiernan O’Connell goal as Erin’s Own led by 1-10 to 1-6 at half-time.

The lead was reduced in the early stages after half-time but Alan Bowen’s points kept Erin’s Own ticking over and Lenihan’s goal gave the outcome an air of inevitability. Bowen finished with 12 points to his name as it finished 2-24 to 1-14.

That set up a semi-final against Midleton, last year’s beaten finalists, in Cobh and goals were the difference as the Caherlag side won again. Kieran Murphy’s early green flag settled them while Cathal Lenihan also netted in the opening period, the end of which they led by 2-7 to 0-4, with Bowen again finding his range with points.

While Midleton came back well after half-time, the third Erin’s Own goal, scored by Stephen Horgan, put the outcome beyond doubt, 3-11 to 0-14 the final score.

It leaves them on the verge of history but, while the aforementioned Lisgoold couldn’t make it three in a row in 2022, they have established themselves as one of the top sides in the IAHC.

Their group-stage performance this year saw them beat Mayfield, Cloughduv and Youghal by a combined tally of 42 points – the next-best scoring difference was Midleton, with +10. Top seeding meant a quarter-final bye for Mossie O’Connell’s side, with Ballygiblin emerging to meet them in the last four.

The longer lay-off has often tripped up teams who have taken the direct route but, while they didn’t have things all their own way in Ballynoe, they still came out on the right side of a 0-20 to 0-14 result.

A good first half from Ballygiblin had seen them establish an 0-11 to 0-7 lead but two red cards in quick succession early in the second half made their task harder.

While Darragh Flynn’s points kept Ballygiblin in front for a while, Lisgoold eventually made the most of their extra manpower and ten unanswered points – with Mark Hegarty, John Cashman and Liam O’Shea among the scores – saw them through to the final. (End)

The referee is Niall Fahy (Brian Dillons) and the game has a 5pm throw in on Saturday 2nd November at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

Advanced ticket sales from gaacork.ie/tickets and from SuperValu & Centra Stores. U16’s FREE