THERE'S a lot of hurling to be played yet in the five grades of the Cork county hurling championship and for the vast majority of clubs there is still everything to play for in their bid to extend their season into the knockout stage.
Some clubs are safely through to the last eight and they can rest that bit easier in their final group game.
The fact there is no northside team playing in the premier senior grade has been the source of considerable concern among the Cork GAA fraternity and the general consensus would be that it's very important to have the old order restored and that the Glen and Na Piarsaigh ae back sooner rather than later at that level again.
Both have made impressive starts to their campaign at Senior A level with the team from Farranree already looking forward to a quarter-final assignment.
It's a near certainty that the Glen will be accompanying them into that stage of a competition that's hugely competitive in its own right.
In fact, it could be, quite rightly, stated that in all five grades of the county huring championship the words minefield and cut-throat come into the conversation.
When a club loses its top flight status the thinking is that it's vital that the quicker they regain it the better.
The longer that you are out the harder it becomes to get back to the place you once occupied.
There was shock and horror when the Glen, in particular, were relegated last season but that happening illustrated that no club, despite its rich history, can take anything for granted with the current situation and it must be said that it has been a very successful championship format in the county for the game of hurling and its health.
For the Glen and Na Piarsaigh too it's been a case of so far, so good, both unbeaten and gathering momentum for what lies ahead at the knockout stage.
From the outside looking in it appears that things are motoring along nicely in the Glen Field and their two fine victories have been achieved without any participation from Patrick Horgan.
There is an injury concern for one of the club's true greats and they took no chances with him, making doubly sure that he's fully ready to enter the fray when the need is at its greatest and that will be in the quarter-final.
There is a nice look to this Glen team, plenty of experience coupled with the potential of their younger players and when Hoggy returns there has to be room for optimism among the management that their stay in the lower tier will be short-lived.
At the same time, there will be caution too because in this grade of Cork hurling you have quite a few opponents who must be given the height of respect.
Na Piaraigh are very much in the equation too and it appears that Blarney are more determined than ever to atone for last season's final loss to Newcestown.
LOCAL PRIDE
Then you have the pride of the Bride from Rathcormac who put down a huge marker in their superb local derby victory over Castlelyons.
The margin of their victory in that game might have surprised many but they were full value for it. The Rovers' massive tally of plus 59 makes them certainties for the last eight and justifies the belief that they are in the short list of leading contenders.
And they too have so much to prove after their controversial exit from last season's competition.
Blarney certainly look the part again this time but when you have three Cork senior hurlers, Shane Barrett, Mark Coleman and Padraig Power backboning the side, you have a nice platform to build from.
And you have Cathal McCarthy certainly making his presence felt too in attack.
Unfortunately, for every impressive display from one team, there is a downside too for the opposition and before a ball is hit in anger in the final game of the group stage the championship campaign is over for a number of teams, Courcey Rovers, Cloyne, Carrigtwohill and Killeagh all now having relegation worries to deal with.
Killeagh's defeat at the hands of Ballyhea will hurt deeply in the East Cork village, being denied by a last-gasp goal after appearing to have secured the victory. Twelve months ago they banged in a last-second goal against Na Piarsaigh to move into the last eight but this time the heartbreaking opposite was the case.
Splitting the grades into two has proved to be a resounding success, particularly at senior level.
In the old format, it was clearly obvious that some teams were out of their depth and a continuation of that would have meant that the strong got stronger and those not in that category would continue to struggle.
The introduction of the Senior A championship has give teams a greater opportunity to rebuild and to give themselves a far better chance of being more in contention for silverware at the end of the season.
No club, no matter how illustrious your history might be, is immune from having a spell off the main stage, the big three in the city, the Rockies, Barrs and Glen have all found themselves in precarious positions down the years regarding their status and last season the Glen went under.
It was a bitter pill to swallow in Blackpool but they took it on the chin, had a good, hard look at themselves and now the road back appears to be shorter.
It's still going to take a massive effort to win this Senior A championship as it will be for the four or five other leading contenders.
But if you get through the group stage and are still standing after that, it's fair to suggest that the last eight teams have a right to believe that they can go much deeper into the competition.
With everything that is going on from one weekend to the next one would love to be in four or five different places at the one time.
Humanly impossible, of course, but to repeat once more, this current Cork county hurling format is working a treat throughout the grades and the priority from it has to be to ensure that there is so much to play going into the third and final group game.
Be it extending your season or saving yourself from the dreaded drop, it's fascinating as it unfolds.
