ONLY an eight-minute drive separates the home grounds of Diarmuid Ó Mathúnas and St Mary’s, emphasising how close these neighbours are.

Sunday’s RCM Tarmacadam Carbery Junior A Hurling Championship final in Dunmanway (3pm) is the first time the clubs meet in the decider.

The clubs combine at underage level as Ahán Gaels, winning the 2025 Carbery U21B hurling title after beating Clonakilty.

Back then, players like Mathúnas’ Caolán O’Donovan and Conor O’Sullivan and the St Mary’s duo of Eoin Cullinane and Jack Eady were teammates. This weekend, they are rivals.

St Mary’s are unbeaten throughout the campaign, while Mathúnas have lost one game and are chasing a second title in three years. St Mary’s, meanwhile, are chasing their first-ever Carbery JAHC title.

Mathúnas will go into this as slight favourites given their pedigree in the Carbery championship and the sides they have beaten this year.

2023 champions Clonakilty, 2025 finalists Kilbree and winners of three of the last five editions, Ballinascarthy, have all fallen by the wayside to the Castletownkenneigh boys. Mathúnas won all three games by four or five points – Clon lost by four, Kilbree by five and Bal by five. Those scorelines were down to Mathúnas outlasting their opponents. 

Caolán O’Donovan is their key scorer, just like when they last won the crown in 2024. He has hit 0-37 so far this year with 0-30 coming from placed balls. If St Mary’s concede scorable frees, they will be punished.

Jamie Lucey, Kevin O’Donovan, Conor O’Sullivan and the experienced Ted Lordan have put in impressive displays all campaign, too. Mathúnas have won six titles, all since 2000, and will be looking to further assert themselves as the top team in Carbery.

St Mary’s have the unwanted statistic of competing in the most Carbery hurling finals without winning a title. But they’re unbeaten this year so that fact may change this time. 

The Saints’ biggest winning margin this campaign has been two points. That can be a sign of a team’s resilience, as they find ways to grind out tight games.

Olan Corcoran is known more as a footballer having played on Cork underage teams but he’s also a good hurler, with 1-18 from play. He is ably assisted by Brian Everard, Jason Collins, Jack Eady and Darren O’Donovan. 

Since 2019, only Ballinascarthy, Mathúnas and Clonakilty have won the Flyer Nyhan Cup. Mary’s are hoping to add their name to that list and banish the demons from final defeats in 2020 and 2021. 

Whether it’s the local rivalry, the storylines or the quality of the hurlers, this derby decider promises to be an entertaining watch.