THE story of the little village's impact on the GAA can often be amplified and romanticised beyond reason. The 'shop, pub, church school and local pitch' scenario can sometimes be wearing. But in Newtownshandrum's case it is perhaps understated.

Three times the champions of Cork in the last five years, once All-Ireland club champions (2004) and beaten in another club final in Croke Park earlier this year, their resources are drawn from a population of 800 (250 to 260 adults).

Now they are taking pride in their profound influence on the most successful assault on a first three-in-a-row of All-Ireland senior hurling titles for 28 years.

Where once the city powers of Glen Rovers, Na Piarsaigh, Blackrock and St Finbarr's backboned Cork hurling teams now the small village to the east of Charleville nestling the Limerick border, is providing much of the impetus for a 31st title.

The balance of power has clearly shifted 'to the sticks'. On Sunday, Newtown will provide the captain (Pat Mulcahy), a selector (Patsy Morrissey) who John Allen described last week as his 'right hand', the team's twin accelerators (Ben and Jerry O'Connor) and their explosive supersub (Cathal Naughton) who came off the bench against Waterford in the semi-final almost four weeks ago and turned it with a quick fire goal and a point.

Two years ago they had three other squad members, JP King, James Bowles and Paul Morrissey, all picking up All-Ireland medals.

"We nearly have as many involved on Sunday as we have tickets for the game," quipped club secretary Pat Guiney this week!

But Newtown are contributing more than just personnel to three-in-a-row bid. They have been the source of a fundamental style of hurling that has been knitted and blended into Cork's play over the last four years.

It's not a complete carbon copy but the parallels of ball carrying, overlapping and short passing - a far cry from the perception of Cork's traditional game - are striking.

"The styles would be different. Newtown's game is possession and run, trying to find the gaps and take out the man, Cork's game is more based on possession and support, presenting an overlap," observes Patsy Morrissey, who was a selector with Newtown when they won the 2004 All-Ireland title.

Bernie O'Connor, father of Jerry and Ben, patented the 'possession and run' style with a gifted underage team that swept all before them on their way up and now forms the nucleus of the current senior team.

"He did it out of necessity. They were so small there was no point in taking it into contact. They had to get rid of it and the style emerged out of that," says Morrissey.

Talented

Ger Cunningham, coach to the 2004 team and to Limerick until Joe McKenna's abrupt mid season departure as manager this year believes the Newtown style, and by extension the Cork style, is only possible with finely tuned, agile and talented athletes.

"Other clubs and counties have and will continue to try to adopt it but it might not work for them because they won't have the calibre of player.

"Newtown have it, Cork have it and that's why it works for them. You look at Cathal Naughton coming off the bench, an archetypal Newtown man with pace, agility and ability to get the ball and go through a gap. There's a few more on the way too."

Cunningham says that outsiders will always have difficulty countenancing how hurling dominated everyday life in Newtownshandrum.

"The pitch really is the focal point of the village," he says, a point reinforced by the club secretary Guiney and Morrissey. Every adult in the parish is a member of the hurling club and to borrow Cromwellian philosophy there's a 'to hurl or to Connacht' attitude prevalent in the village.

"If you don't hurl or involve yourself in the game they consider you an outcast. There is no Gaelic football or soccer which is a great help. If you don't hurl or you're not involved then you'll soon find yourself alienated. It's a great incentive to hurl."

The hurling club doesn't have structures or committees. There are key officers filling the post of chairman, secretary and treasurer but after that each of the 250 plus membership is considered a committee man or woman.

"We have open meetings every Monday evening, 51 weeks of the year. Everything is discussed at those meetings, everyone can attend. There's more than hurling discussed. If someone is in need of something in the area it's discussed and if it can be sorted out it will. But everything is hurling. There isn't really another social outlet in the area," says Guiney.

They're proud of what they're doing for Cork now. The little pocket of Cork where they exist has always had a strong hurling tradition. Neighbouring clubs like Ballyhea, Milford andCharleville have made their contributions but nothing like the impact Newtown has now.

Shifted

"The balance has definitely shifted to the sticks. There was a time when you had to be from the city to get on a Cork hurling team. That's changed now. Maybe it's not good for hurling. I'd like to see a more even spread with some of the city clubs contributing more."

Cunningham doesn't envisage every seeing 'a Newtownshandrum' in hurling again.

"I think they're fairly unique. I don't think we'll see such a small place have such a big impact on a county team again.

"Hurling was evolving the way they play the game anyway. "Newtown were probably just a bit ahead of their time."

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