All-Ireland club finals: Cork seeking a third junior and intermediate double

This is the first year since 2006 where Cork will have representation in all three All-Ireland club hurling finals.

As is well-documented, Sarsfields reaching the senior decider marks the first time since Newtownshandrum years ago that a team from the county has done so. In the intermediate and junior grades, Cork’s performance has been much better – only Kilkenny are ahead on each roll of honour – and there is less novelty in Leeside clubs being in both finals in the same year.

At the same time, it has happened just five times before Sunday and this year, with Watergrasshill and Russell Rovers involved, marks the first time that it has happened in consecutive seasons.

Of the previous five occurrences, there is a 40 percent success rate in terms of a Rebel double being executed. The first of those came in 2009, when mid-Cork neighbours Blarney and Dripsey both ascended the steps of the Hogan Stand.

Dripsey, who had only been established a few years beforehand, rode the wave of momentum after their county win and made it all the way to Croke Park. Captain Diarmuid O’Riordan was totemic for the Muskerry outfit, scoring 1-9 as they beat Kilkenny’s Tullogher-Rosbercon by 2-15 to 0-18, the other goal scored by David O’Sullivan.

Tnd that win was followed by Blarney getting the better of Galway’s Cappataggle. Teenager Colin Murphy notched the same scoring tally as O’Riordan, firing 1-9, with Ross McNamara also raising a green flag in a 2-14 to 1-12 triumph while the half-back line of Joe Jordan, captain James Hughes and Stephen O’Donoghue was superb.

Two years later, green and gold were the colours as Meelin and Ballymartle claimed the honours on the same day. Eamonn Brosnan scored five points with DJ O’Sullivan landing three as Meelin got the better of Kilkenny’s John Lockes by 0-12 to 1-5 in the junior decider, before Ballymartle claimed intermediate glory.

Dicksboro of Kilkenny led by 1-20 to 2-15 with time almost up but Darren McCarthy scored a wonderful goal from a free at the death to tip things the way of the south-east men.

It left him with a 1-2, an output matched by Jamie Dwyer, while Barry Dwyer finished with 1-7.

Those two doubles in three seasons stand apart from the rest. In 2011, Dicksboro had been looking to match their intermediate title of five years previously, when they beat Ballinhassig on the same day Fr O’Neills had overcome Carlow’s Erin’s Own in the junior.

After 2011, it would take until 2020 for two Cork clubs to play the same bill. Unfortunately for both O’Neills and Russell Rovers, there was to be defeat against Tullaroan and Conahy Shamrocks respectively.

It would be much the same story in 2024. In the in the intermediate, Castlelyons were beaten by Thomastown – who went on to Kilkenny senior title later that year – while St Catherine’s came up short in the junior against Tullogher-Rosbercon, who were able to exorcise the demons of that Dripsey loss of 15 years earlier.

Russell Rovers have a chance to do something similar, albeit without as long of a wait. Hopefully they and Watergrasshill can provide perfect endings to great campaigns.