EVENTS in Croke Park and one of the great Irish sporting moments understandably took the bulk of our attention last week, however we are never ones to forget our bread and butter so it’s time to review the Cork club action in more detail.

The Star team gave comprehensive reports on the games last week, so this will be a wider, high level overview of where we stand after the opening games.

In premier senior, it was something of a bombshell weekend with both St Finbarr’s and Nemo Rangers beaten. The record of the dominant clubs in Cork is well known but still bears repeating – the same two teams have claimed seven out of nine Cork SFC titles between them since 2017 with only Castlehaven breaking the duopoly in 2023 and 2024. The Barrs only lost their first-ever group game to Mallow three years ago and Nemo have equally only lost at this stage a couple of times, so for both to be beaten on the same weekend was notable.

Kudos then to Carrigaline and Newcestown who appear to be amongst a small group of contenders slowly closing the gap to the leaders of the pack.

Clonakilty will certainly feel entitled to consider themselves amongst that group also having disposed of newcomers Knocknagree with a degree of comfort. Clon have long been touted as potential challengers to the big guns, but apart from 2021 when they pushed the Barrs all the way in the final, have struggled to live up to the billing.

Those six teams look like the teams to watch for 2026, with only possibly the winners of Knocknagree versus Ballincollig next time out also capable of making a run deep into the season, like Mallow in 2024, however on current form they are a little behind the teams mentioned above. Douglas and Valley Rovers were others to taste victory on day one, but we don’t see them threatening the latter stages of the championship just yet.

Anyone who loses their first game is automatically in the conversation for relegation, but given that we expect the Barrs and Nemo to recover, it looks like St Michael’s, Mallow and the losers of Knocknagree v Ballincollig will be the teams with most to fret about. As an aside, there has been much talk about the format in recent years given the repeat successes of the top three, however these results show the gap is closing and there is little wrong with the format once the other teams step up to the plate and challenge the status quo.

The Haven and the Barrs do still look the teams to beat in the long run, but they are not a million miles out in front. Championship aristocrats Nemo look to be in with the chasing pack despite being so close to beating the Barrs last year in the final. Much can and will change as the season progresses depending on injuries and the availability of key players, and we will be watching closely.

The senior A championship appears even more open with Kanturk, Cill na Martra and Éire Óg looking like the pick of the bunch at this point. Kilshannig and Newmarket also claimed maximum points on the first day out, while Dohenys and Aghabullogue took one each. That single point can be crucial in a short group format. On the local front, Ross versus Skibb is now a huge game for both teams as they look to avoid getting sucked into the relegation battle, with the winners instead eyeing progression to the knockout stages.

Such are the fine margins and another reason why I think the three groups of four work so well as teams are always on their toes needing results. Beál Athán Ghaorthaidh, Bishopstown and Clyda Rovers are the other teams in need of their first points after round one. The latter two will face off the next day out in another crucial basement battle. One win can change your season’s prospects, but a second defeat can make life very uncomfortable.

Fancied Uibh Laoire impressed on the first weekend in the premier intermediate grade, with Rockchapel, Fermoy and promoted Ballinora also claiming two points each. Group 2, featuring Kiskeam, Aghada, Macroom and Castletownbere, was notable in that the points were shared evenly between all four teams after two draws, showing once again how well matched teams generally are in the new system.

There was no joy for Carbery teams in the lower intermediate competition with Ilen Rovers, Gabriel Rangers and Bandon all beaten. Again, a promoted side impressed as Buttevant had 20 points in hand against Glanworth. Their upcoming clash with Kilmurry, who beat last year’s finalists Ilen Rovers by four, makes for a very interesting fixture. Boherbue, Adrigole, Mitchelstown and the Barrs second team were the others to taste victory on day one.

The momentum of winning a county and achieving promotion was apparent for Kilmacabea also as they accounted for Na Piarsaigh by 15 points. They will face a much stiffer test next time out against 2024 finalists Canovee, who also had a big win over a northside city team, beating St Nick’s by 20. Given that we in Carbery Rangers played both those teams and St Vincents, who were also beaten by Cullen, in senior in the years after our promotion 20 years ago, the decline of football in the city’s northside is stark.

The Carbery Junior A championship also kicked off and my own Carbery Rangers team committed a form of sporting robbery with a late burst that denied Kilmeen what would have been a well-earned win. Despite being second best for long periods, we played all the way to the final whistle and a pair of two-pointers plus a late goal from John Patrick Eady turned a six-point deficit with time almost up into a one-point win. This would virtually never have happened in football before the rule changes.

Kilbrittain also had one point to spare against Randal Óg in the other game in our group. Second teams are starting to become increasingly competitive in the junior grade with Newcestown gaining a draw against St Mary’s and Castlehaven falling by just a point against Argideen Rangers in Group 1. Elsewhere, St James beat Caheragh and 2024 finalist Diarmuid Ó Mathúnas bettered St Oliver Plunkett’s in Group 3. In Group 4, Barryroe pipped St Colum’s by a point and Goleen put down a marker that they will take some watching with a six-point win against Ballinascarthy.

The closeness of the games overall was again a feature and the championships broadly look wide open. We tipped up a few teams in our championship preview and all of them got off the mark first time out other than reigning premier senior kingpins, the Barrs, and we expect they will bounce back.

The Cork club championships are underway and we have some exciting games to look forward to, we will look in more detail at the pick of those next week. Much to look forward to between now and the end of October in Cork.