'I can't recall it being mentioned': Sars silent on back-to-back Cork Premier SHC title talks says Bryan Murphy

Pat Horgan, Chairperson Cork Gaa, Bryan Murphy, Sarsfields and Jerry Riordan, Co-Op Superstores Retail Operations Manager. Pic: Jim Coughlan.

We can only take Bryan Murphy at his word. His word - his insistent word - is that there hasn’t been a single mention of back-to-back in the Sars camp since they regathered for a campaign about to really ratchet up this weekend.

If that is indeed the case, it would be a curious truth. Back-to-back is their absent achievement. It is by no means a blot, but it is the only next step for them to take.

Sars are eight-time Cork hurling champions. The present group is responsible for two of those. There is a small number within that group who are responsible for six of the eight.

The titles are tightly packed. Two in the last three years. Four in the seven-year period from 2008-14. The maiden pair of 1951 and ‘57 weren’t that far separated either. But none have directly followed another.

In 2009, ‘13, ‘15, and ‘24, they entered the county final as reigning champions. They did not leave, though, as back-to-back winners.

Bar the two-point defeat to Midleton 13 years ago, none of those other concluding-day back-to-back attempts were even remotely close.

So yeah, it really is successful defence or nothing.

When you’ve won four consecutive Division 1 League titles, when you’ve reached three consecutive county finals, when you've won a second championship to cement the value of the first two years earlier, when you’ve won Munster, when you’ve beaten Ballygunner, when you’ve been to Croke Park on All-Ireland club final Sunday, there ain’t a whole lot else to scratch around for.

“It's not even a conversation or a thought that we've had, to be honest with you. I can't even recall it being mentioned,” said Sars half-back Bryan Murphy ahead of this latest defence.

“The double conversation hasn't really been had, or is even in our psyche, so I suppose we'll try to take it every game as it comes. But obviously it'd be fantastic if we can win it again as a collective.”

A slight difference to previous titles defences is the availability of all players from nearly day dot in 2026. There’s been no Cork seniors feeding back in four weeks before local matters throw in. Their match-winning mainstays have been ever-present since January. Their mainstays ensured there was no slippage of effort during the less glamorous months.

Jack O’Connor, the outstanding club hurler in Cork last year, failed to make Ben O’Connor’s 36-man league panel. Colm McCarthy and Cian Darcy were similarly not retained beyond the Munster SHL. All-Ireland U20 winner Daniel Hogan, involved in the final season of Pat Ryan’s term, was not recalled by the new broom. Cathal McCarthy, meanwhile, was unavailable for inter-county consideration as he nursed a repaired cruciate.

“Cian Darcy and Colm McCarthy were in with the Cork training panel at the start of the year and what those guys learned when they were in there was a massive benefit to them personally, and when they came back to us, they brought back massive learnings from that group,” 33-year-old Murphy continued.

“Jack's been in with Cork for years now but having his experience and his high standards at training in January, February, March was a massive thing and it seemed to drive both the older fellas and the younger fellas on because the drive and the hunger that he was showing in training was setting a massive example.

“Having the full collective group together throughout pre-season and throughout those hard, wet nights where maybe morale might be low, you have those fellas driving you on. It's probably benefited us in the long run alright, having the full collective in training.”

Consistency of playing personnel, consistency of sideline personnel. Johnny Crowley and Diarmuid O’Sullivan are in year four of their tenure. They have a group that consistently responds to them. But they also know the importance of replenishing that group.

Youngsters Barry O’Flynn and Donal English were integrated into the starting team last year. Jack Huggins and Seán Bracken got meaningful league minutes in recent months.

“Continuity is definitely a positive because even from a player to manager point of view, you do build more of a relationship over time. Winning is a habit and you do build a stronger bond when you win together,” remarked Murphy, a native of Kerry and a Cobh-based Garda detective.

“But again, you have to be coachable and you have to be communicative over time with management, and I think the younger guys coming through are even seeing that now that they're a very approachable management team and the standards they set really set an example for us as a player group.”

All the ingredients are there on the table. It’s a case now of putting them all together for an outcome Sars thus far have not been able to cook up.