Glen Rovers set sights on ending 50-year Munster wait 

Glen captain Adam Lynch said the Cork champions are '100% going to go' to try and win the Munster title

Cathal Hickey: 'This one feels a bit sweeter, to be honest with you, especially after we got relegated only three years ago.' Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile

There were a myriad of strands to the Glen being able to hop off the team bus on Sunday evening and walk their prize across the Christy Ring Bridge.

There were the scoresheet contributions and subtlety elsewhere of ageless and unflagging servants Patrick Horgan and Dean Brosnan.

38-year-old Hoggie produced the turnover for the Glen’s second goal. 35-year-old Brosnan blocked down a William Buckley point attempt during the play directly after. In the next play further on, he caught the Glen puckout and a Rhys Dunne point ensued.

There was the solidity and assuredness of those in the Glen’s middle age bracket.

Included here is the pressure applied by Rob Downey on the rare occasions when Brian Hayes was fed. Liam Coughlan, in his first county final as a defender, was repeatedly out in front and distributed so effectively. Simon Kennefick won frees, rattled the crossbar, rattled the post, and generally sparked chaos.

There was the game-turning 2-2 of Eoin O’Leary on his county senior final debut. There was the stepping up and breakout performances of the players who have achieved first-team status since the dark days of 2023.

Compare the starting line-ups from the 2023 relegation play-off defeat to Kanturk and Sunday’s decider, and there are six first-team newcomers. Within that sextet, Rhys Dunne rose three white flags, had a hand in two more, and assisted both goals. Eoin Varian floated off the field so content with his tagging of William Buckley.

That’s every outfield department covered, such was the across-the-board balance to this Glen victory.

None of the above should overshadow Cathal Hickey’s role between the sticks. For the first time since their group opener on July 31, the Barrs failed to raise a green flag.

37-year-old Hickey denied the poorly struck goal effort of Brian Hayes on 39 minutes. Seconds later and far more impressive was how he got his body in the way of John Wigginton-Barrett’s follow-up. A goal here, the Barrs are back level, and the Glen’s thunderous start to the second period has been unravelled and undone.

And then there was his 63rd minute feet-first lunge to deny William Buckley a levelling goal. Whether by legitimate means or not, he did what was expected of him and kept the green flag rooted nearby. He refused the approach of extra-time.

“Throw your body at it, stop it going in at all costs,” was Hickey’s recall of those dramatic final moments. “I think Rob [Downey] threw his body on it then straightaway, and we got it away.

“Look, I made a couple of saves, they went my way. I'm delighted with it. As I said, you're hoping you don't touch the ball at all.”

Along with the Hoggie and Brosnan, Hickey was the third starter collecting his third county senior medal to go along with the pair from 10 and 11 years ago. Sub Brian Moylan is another in that category.

This latest piece of silverware trumps those already with dust on them, and for very obvious reasons.

“Yeah, this one feels a bit sweeter, to be honest with you, especially after we got relegated only three years ago. We believed that we were too good to go down and we let the club down. We left ourselves down,” Hickey continued.

“We knew we should never have gone down, but we regrouped, we just stuck amongst ourselves, and we went again.

“Then, once we got back up, we always believed that we should be here and we could win it.” 

That belief was ferociously emboldened by the second-round victory earlier this year, above in Castletownroche, against the championship’s breakout team Kanturk. Trailing by two late on, defeat would have ended their campaign. Instead, they eked out victory a distance from familiar city environs.

“I know we only scored the four points in the last couple of minutes to win it, but that game gave us huge belief for the rest of the year. It drove us on and it was the making of us, to be honest.” 

Next stop Munster. Clare champions Inagh-Kilnamona visit the weekend after next. The Glen haven’t reigned supreme on the provincial front since 1976. Captain Adam Lynch says they’ll go gung-ho to bridge that 50-year gap.

“We’re a 100% going to go for it, and I think we have the capability to go on. We have a serious outfit, a serious team – we’ll enjoy the next few days and go from there.”