Familiar look to Cork football as county championship throws in

It's as you were this time 12 months ago.

LOCAL HEROES: Pictured are, Darren Kenneally, Glanmire, Chris O'Herlihy, Carrigaline, Pat Horgan, Chairperson Cork Gaa, Mark Collins, Castlehaven with the Andy Scannell Cup, Brendan Harrington, CEO McCarthy Insurance Group, Colm O'Shea, Kilshannig and Tomas Collins, Kilmurry, at the McCarthy Insurance Group 2025 Cork Club Football Championship launch, at SuperValu Pairc Ui Chaoimh, Cork. Picture: Jim Coughlan.

Throw-in time for the Cork football championship. The conversation remains unchanged from the 2024 edition. Forgive the repetition, but repetition is unavoidable.

Castlehaven again begin as champions. Nemo and the Barrs again are prioritised by unseating the men from the west. Everyone else, bar one or two at the bottom of the ladder, are again prioritised with breaking the latter-end stranglehold of the big three.

In essence, as you were, this time 12 months ago.

But of course, it isn’t as you were given the game is largely unrecognisable from last summer. The new rules could lend to an interruption of the big three. They could also serve to push the Haven, the Barrs, and Nemo further clear from a chasing pack that hasn’t managed to get in amongst them since Clonakilty contested and came up short of the Barrs by the minimum in the 2021 county final.

Clon again appeared best placed to push through and break through. They brought the Barrs to extra-time in the recent Division 1 League final, coming up short on this occasion by two.

The fixture was the latest piece of evidence of how the 2025 Cork football championship could be sung to Steven Sherlock’s tune. On the opening weekend of the League, Sherlock, who opted out of the Cork set-up this year, kicked 0-15, including four two-pointers. On the final weekend of the League, and in steering St Finbarr's to early-season silverware, he kicked 0-18, including three orange flags.

Mark Collins of three-in-a-row chasing Castlehaven said the champions still have to calibrate their orange flag radar. According to the former Cork footballer, their two-point conversion rate was as low as 20% during the League. The return of Cork captain Brian Hurley should help improve that particular figure, the 33-year-old having registered five of them across the Munster and All-Ireland championship.

“Our percentage was shocking, and it's something we're looking at. I think it's a lot about right option-taking. When the rules came in first, there was kind of a freshness to it and everyone was maybe looking to have a go or have a pot. Trying to nail that as the year goes on, is something we'll look at,” said Collins.

The top-tier championship throws-in with a familiar pairing. Nemo versus Ballincollig (Ballygarvan, 7.30pm). They met on the opening weekend last year, Nemo winning 0-11 to 0-6.

They were even more comfortable winners on the opening weekend the year previous, Nemo taking that fixture 2-11 to 0-6. Throw in the one-sided 2022 semi-final and this is the fourth consecutive year they are crossing paths. Ballincollig have yet to walk in front of the men from Trabeg during that time.

Where Ballincollig finished mid-table in Division 2, Nemo were a point off making the Division 1 League decider. And so the expectation is that Nemo will again be a step or two ahead.