Beaten down: Ilen Rovers are in freefall and the numbers don't stack up 

SCENIC BUT...: The west Cork coastal harbour town of Baltimore, home to Ilen Rovers. Pic: Larry Cummins

When Cork GAA published their club rankings in November 2019, ahead of the radically redrawn county championship structure throwing in the following year, Ilen Rovers were comfortably inside the 12th place cut-off for the shiny, new Premier Senior championship.

Based on results from the four seasons spanning 2016 through 2019, Ilen Rovers ranked joint-ninth of the 20 teams who held senior status at the time. In sum, they had earned the right to be part of the new, slimmed down top-tier championship.