Blackrock determined to regain old glory
It's fifteen years since a Cork side won a Munster club hurling title. Once they were kings of the castle, nine successive titles in the 70's, now they can't get past the drawbridge.
The slide started in the '80s, a mere three crowns, but since 1987, there has been no success.
Limerick, Tipperary, Waterford, they've all had their Munster champions since, while Clare recently took over the Cork mantle of the 70's, with a six-in-a-row run interrupted finally by Ballygunner last year.
So, what chance for Blackrock this Sunday? Five titles they annexed during that remarkable Cork run in the 70's, the last in 1979, three All-Irelands picked up in the process.
They've had their chances since, this is their third campaign in the last four years, but the final last year was as far as they got.
The Bridge, meanwhile, went all the way, All-Ireland champions in '96, Munster champions two years ago.
Strange country for the Rockies to be in, this, outsiders in what was once their own demesne.
Former Cork star Eamonn O'Donoghue was there through the good times, and he reckons the turnaround is due to a combination of factors.
"We were a lot more organised in those days than most other clubs.
"We had a great squad of players, but we had a very professional approach to the whole thing, the training methods and so on, a bit ahead of our time. Tradition still stood for a lot then too, and clubs facing Cork teams were a bit in awe.
"During the '80's, that fear factor went, but along with that, other clubs were putting more effort into it too, putting more into it in the training ground, becoming more organised off the pitch. Gradually, the invincibility tag the Cork clubs had was eroded." The God-given right taken away? "Exactly, other teams grew in confidence against us."
That was then, a lot of hard times for Cork hurling since, but now, beginning tomorrow, Eamonn believes this latest Blackrock model can regain some of the glory of old.
"If we do play to our full potential, I don't think anyone will beat us.
"But it will have to be to our full potential. We've had different lads playing well at different times this year, but we're going to have to be at our best against Sixmilebridge.
"We'll be looking to Alan Browne to deliver a big game on Sunday, Brian O'Keeffe also, he started very well against Kilmoyley. And by the way, Kilmoyley were a lot better than people think, highly-organised, very well prepared by John Meyler, huge commitment, and you could see that in the number of people involved with them, very professional.
"That was a tough game for us, but we won. Hopefully, we'll continue that success this weekend, but if we don't, it won't be for want of effort. Timmy Murphy has put in a huge effort with the lads, a great coach; I trained under him myself, and he really knows what he's about, a great motivator also. Timmy will leave no stone unturned, be sure of that. I'm optimistic; if we can get a better return from the forwards as a unit, we can do it".
The game in Walsh Park is live on TG4, who continue to do a master job in the sports department one could do a lot worse than attend the game in Ennis, record the other.
