CORK have made Páirc Uí Chaoimh a fortress, and Shane Barrett is determined to keep it that way.

Since 2023, the Rebels have lost just once in championship hurling at home, against Clare last season, and their latest victory over the Banner means Cork have now beaten every Munster rival in the round robin over the past three years, including two wins over Limerick.

Now attention turns to another showdown with the Treaty men in the Munster SHC final on Sunday, June 7th.

‘We have a proud home record over the last two or three years,’ Barrett said.

‘We love playing here. It’s such a great place to play hurling.

‘We still have a lot to improve on. We are nowhere near the finished product yet. We’re leaving goal chances behind us, so there’s plenty to work on over the next two weeks and we’ll knuckle down now.’

The Blarney forward said protecting home turf has become a major focus for this Cork side.

‘The Clare game was about protecting our home turf and putting in a performance Cork supporters want to see,’ he added.

‘We haven’t lost many championship games here over the last few seasons, so we take huge pride in Páirc Uí Chaoimh and making it as difficult a place as possible for teams coming here.’

Barrett’s club-mate Mark Coleman echoed those sentiments.

‘Any team wants to make their home pitch a difficult place to come,’ Coleman said.

‘We’re delighted with the record we’ve built up, but we have to keep it going and make sure every team that comes here knows they’re in for a serious battle.’

Coleman also recalled Cork’s last Munster final at the Páirc against Limerick in 2014.

‘I was up on the terrace that day and it was unbelievable,’ he said.

‘The next two weeks are going to be massively exciting. There’ll be a huge scramble for tickets around Cork.

‘We’ll enjoy the build-up and hopefully put in a big performance.’

A 16-point victory in Munster championship hurling would normally point to a near-perfect display, but Barrett insisted Cork can still improve.

The Rebels finished the round robin with four wins from four – a feat only Tipperary in 2019 had previously achieved.

‘I wouldn’t say it was near perfect,’ Barrett admitted.

‘We left a lot of goal chances and scores behind us.

‘Defensively, though, it was a very good performance. Apart from the late goal, we only conceded 0-14 and our defenders have been top class through all four games.

‘But it definitely wasn’t perfect. There’s a lot to work on and we’ll need to be much better the next day.’