O'Sullivan chasing elusive club title

Club championships: A grey day in October, the championship consigned to memory, so it must be the start of another AIB club season. The road to Croke Park on St Partick's Day starts here.

When it came to the formal launch of this year's competition there was one obvious location - the European Capital of Culture, the home of the Rebel Treble (All-Ireland hurling, camogie, and women's football) and, most of all, the place that easily leads the All-Ireland club roll of honour.

Cork. Between football and hurling the county has won 20 titles. Newtownshandrum produced the most recent success with their first All-Ireland hurling title in 2004, but it's Nemo Rangers - who have won seven football titles since the competitions began in 1971 - who still hold the greatest pride.

Their hugely impressive new club facilities in the south suburb of Douglas raises that pride even higher. Although it will not be officially opened until later in the month, the new club pavilion yesterday hosted several of Cork's finest club and county players from the past and present, not least those in the hunt for this year's county hurling title.

On Sunday week Cloyne and Newtownshandrum will battle for that honour, which provides the first truly appetising clash of the season and has all the essential ingredients of a classic county final - two small parishes, built around several bands of brothers, plus a few of Cork's recent All-Ireland winners playing against each other.

Both teams came through their semi-finals last Sunday, with Cloyne's victory over UCC built as usual around the man they call The Rock - Diarmuid O'Sullivan. It didn't take long for him to put the club championship into context. He's already won every available honour with the Cork hurling team, but winning a first county title with the players he grew up with - not to mention his four brothers - would probably top the lot.

"In a lot of ways it's the county final everyone wanted to see," said O'Sullivan. "And of course it would be very special for me to complete the set of medals. I think to win one with your brothers and the people you went to school with would take on a totally different meaning."

O'Sullivan's four younger brothers all featured prominently on Sunday - with Eoin playing at corner back, Donal at midfield, Colm at half forward, and Páudie at corner forward. Diarmuid moved from his usual full-back position to centre back (from where he scored a goal) and can't seem to overstate what it would mean to lead this team to the Cork championship.

"It is incredible I suppose that the nucleus of the team is made up of four families," he added. "Ourselves, the Cusacks, the Motherways and the Cahills. And we're working off a pick of 25 or 26 players. We lost last year's final to Na Piarsaigh, but I think now we've learned how to win."

The Newtownshandrum team is also built around families and close friends, none better known than Ben and Jerry O'Connor. Having won their first title in 2004 they are intent on revisiting the highs and get back to Croke Park next March, and Jerry hinted that the appetite was back where it needs to be.

"After winning last year we were a little tired and lazy maybe," he said, "but we've trained well all year. We just said at the start of the year that we'd focus on the first game and take it from there. So I think there is a hunger to get back there, yeah."

They beat St Finbarr's last Sunday, the team that come closest to rivalling Nemo with their five All-Ireland titles - three in football and two in hurling. With reigning All-Ireland football champions Ballina failing to progress in this year's Mayo championship, a new name will go on the Andy Merrigan Cup.

Nemo are strong favourites to come out of Cork - as they are every year - and chase the ultimate title they last won in 2003, when captained by Colin Corkery, who has been coming off the bench this season to good effect.

Reigning hurling champions James Stephens of Kilkenny are still in the early stages of defending their title.

AIB, meanwhile, are planning extra promotions this year around the provincial championship finals in an effort to heighten their profile. Speaking at yesterday's event, GAA president Seán Kelly emphasised the enduring role of the club championship.

"Without the clubs, there would be no intercounty championship," he said. "We must not forget this. And I think the club championship is more and more about community and family, and has captured the imagination in a way few would have thought possible."