A FIFTH COUNTY senior hurling medal deposited in the trophy cabinet, 15 years after the original breakthrough.
An impressive career haul for Conor O’Sullivan (34 years old) and Daniel Kearney (33) in Sarsfields colours, but for the pair the exhausting wait since their last success in 2014 sweetened the taste of this latest victory.
They climbed back to the podium in Páirc Uí Chaoimh, older, wiser and with children in their arms for the celebrations. They have seen inter-county careers with Cork draw to a close since their last county final victory, perseverance on the club front was rewarded with a hard-earned final win over Midleton.
“It’s unbelievable,” said Kearney.
“We had a lot of success with the club when I was young and you don’t really get to appreciate it. It just happens and you get used to it. So coming through the bit of hurt, this is just all the sweeter.
“It’s just you put so much into it and it’s so competitive and difficult to win. You never dream of it because you just don’t want to get ahead of yourself.”
They were teenagers in 2008 when Sarsfields bridged a title gap that had spanned for over half a century. Every Sarsfields success since (2010, 2012 and 2014) has had the constant theme of O’Sullivan and Kearney on the starting teamsheet.
Across that time, Craig Leahy, Kearney’s twin brother William, Daniel Roche and O’Sullivan’s younger brother Eoin, have all had different roles. They were all still part of the playing camp yesterday as glory was achieved.
“There’s a weight off the shoulders,” said O’Sullivan.
“I don’t know, we kind of felt like we were never going to get back there. We’ve had some bad days since ’14. Me, Willie, Danny, Craig, Rochie, Eoin, we’ve been there for a long time.
“The three boys – Craig and the two twins – they’re my kids’ godfathers. None of our friends emigrated, none of our group went away, everyone stayed with Sars.”
Over the past eight seasons, Sarsfields lost a final, two semi-finals and three quarter-finals. That disappointment on the pitch paled in comparison to hardship off it, the Sarsfields captain acknowledging what some of his team-mates have been through.
In the summer of 2019, the club was busy with fundraising efforts to help defender Paul Leopold as he continued his recovery from major surgery in Boston.
Paul Leopold Fund - Table Quiz & Fundraiser. See https://t.co/whpq8Se7XA for more. #clubify
— Sars (@SarsfieldsCork) July 14, 2019
In May 2020, Eoin O’Sullivan spoke eloquently and inspiringly to The Irish Examiner about his cancer diagnosis, treatment and how hurling had been a passion maintained during that time.
Hurling with cancer: how Sarsfields ace Eoin O’Sullivan took on every obstacle to get back on the field https://t.co/vXvRrLVxIc
— Irish Examiner Sport (@ExaminerSport) May 22, 2020
“Sars means so much for us. Lads had tough times. Eoin’s had tough times, Paul had tough times, but there was never a question not to get back for Sars.
“Even Rochie, he’s had four horrific surgeries but he doesn’t talk about it, that’s not the way he is. Intermediate, senior, training in a sand arena at the beginning of the year, he’s always there. It just means so much to us. That typifies it.
“The respect people have in our dressing-room for Eoin, it’s unbelievable. He’s my younger brother but the person I probably look up to the most I think. His attitude, it’s actually frightening. Eoin means so much to everyone. He didn’t get into the team this year, again same as Rochey, (playing) intermediate.
“Living up in Dublin, traveling down. Last year the same up and down. Never a question for people like Eoin, that attitude has just shaped us into the players we are and it’s probably shaped us into the people we are.”
They passed on the lessons they had absorbed to the emerging wave of Sarsfields talent, exemplified by Cathal McCarthy, a Cork U20 in recent times, who shot four points in a man-of-the-match showing.
“For a lot of the younger fellas. we’re just delighted that we have been able to go on a journey with them as well and come through with a new team,” said Kearney.
“We’ve a lot more experience (this year). We have a lot of composure. I think we’re playing more with instinct. At the top level, you’re playing off movement rather than communicating. We’re able to fill spaces before we actually have to tell a fella to go.
“Look, it’s a lot of hard work. We’ve been training since February. Sully (Diarmuid O’Sullivan) and Johnny have put in a huge effort, probably the most hours out of the group.”
The journey to the championship victory aided them. They defeated St Finbarr’s, Blackrock, Imokilly and Midleton, a quartet that have landed the previous six titles between in Cork.
“It’s so sweet,” said O’Sullivan. “I remember saying to the group for every round, like the Barr’s could we beat the best team in the county? Newtown, could we beat a dogged team in a rural venue? Then Blackrock, then Imokilly, could we beat the Real Madrid of hurling in Cork? And then Midleton, the form team in the championship. It was a different question every time but we just kept finding different answers.”
“That’s what we needed,” reckoned Kearney.
“We needed to be tested, we needed to be under pressure, we needed to be down a couple of scores, not playing. If we had come through easy and got to today, I think we wouldn’t have stood the test of the challenge.”
For O’Sullivan it capped off a year of hurling challenges. A groin injury incurred in May while playing against the Cork U20 team sidelined him for three months. He was restricted to substitute appearances, yesterday his first start of the season.
“I had a bad injury, It was probably the best thing that ever happened because it meant Cathal coming into the team and I couldn’t get back into it until unfortunately Killian Murphy had his cruciate (injury), who was brilliant all year as well.
“Every cloud, it was tough for me but probably the right thing for the team. Pushing Cathal out, he’s been the best hurler in the championship, I think by far. He got five points the last day, man of the match today. When we were going bad he was unbelievable. I can’t tell you how thankful we are to have a player like him.”
