Little light shed on the bigger picture
There’s the competitionitself, and its relevance to the pair of teams involved – its existence in the moment. It’s the destination, never mind how the journey went.
The power of a county final victory is as strong as it ever was. You only needed to see those in blue, black and white spill out of the covered stand in Páirc Uí Chaoimh yesterday to see that; or the desolation of those in black, green and gold, come to that.
Some of the garlands of victory in past finals are not available now, of course. The traditional bauble of captaincy of the inter-county team for the next season, or the guarantee of a selector on the senior county team, are old traditions that were discarded some time ago.
But there’s also a broader context, one that goes beyond the confines of the stadium once the speeches end and the supporters suddenly feel the cold, even as they’re chatting out at the midfield lines.
That context is the game as a barometer of the quality in a county, as indicator of the promise of spring to come, expressed in a present-day autumn.
Yesterday’s Cork county final ended in what one is bound by tradition to describe as a welter of excitement, but in truth it wasn’t a game that sizzled or sparkled, if we can be permitted to mix our metaphors.
Sarsfields won’t mind; contesting their third county final in three years, they’ll enjoy their success, even though a welter of wides all through the game put their followers through the wringer.
With the final entering its end game, Sars were in arrears, but they held their nerve and showed the benefit of experience to beat their opponents to the tape. Cian McCarthy’s accuracy from placed balls and industry in general play was a major part of that. He deserved the man of the match award.
Glen Rovers will also look back on the year with some satisfaction, despite starting with a heavy defeat to Na Piarsaigh. They were then expelled from the competition by the county board and fined the incredible sum of €10,000, and were out playing matches, if you include their footballers, eight weeks out of nine.
Yet with 10 minutes left they were winning the county senior hurling final. Adversity has often been a spur to the Glen, and 2010 showed there’s spirit in Blackpool yet.
In that wider context we mentioned above, though, what would yesterday have told you about the state of the game in Cork?
Define your terms, as the moral philosophers would say. On one basic level the crowd of kids tipping around at half-time is a healthy sign, an indication that perhaps the governing body in Cork is a touch more inclusive than it was.
On another level, the declared crowd of 11,000 plus change for two big clubs from urban areas wasn’t quite as encouraging. Cork supporters have always enjoyed the concept of the ‘Little All-Ireland’ about their showpiece hurling game, but on yesterday’s evidence it could do with getting no littler.
TAKING the argument in another direction, neutral cognoscenti evaluating potential prospects for the red and white jersey would have seen few options for manager Denis Walsh to promote for 2011 that he hasn’t looked at, used or discarded already.
And that’s just the senior game we’re talking about. By definition those mavens would have been in their seats long before the intermediate final, the curtain-raiser yesterday, as traditionally games in that grade provide some of the annual highlights for hurling followers within the county, as well as a leavening of outstanding individuals for the intercounty scene.
What they saw was Ballymartle keeping a game Tracton side at bay like a classy boxer who knows he’s got a lead on points, a good side who look set to survive at senior level – without providing any possible answers to some of Walsh’s questions.
Still, to the victor the spoils. Riverstown and Glanmire host the Séan Óg Murphy Cup for another 12 months and were worth their win. If Sars had converted even some of the six wides they had in the first nine minutes it would have been more comfortable for them. That won’t worry them, though. After all, it’s the destination, not the journey.
