Rebel hell: What Cork have to do to end 20 years of hurt

Irish Daily Mirror

2 days ago

They were booed by their own fans. A season of promise had turned to disaster.
No, we aren't talking about Cork here. Well, at least not yet.
Instead we are reflecting on how last summer ended for Tipperary - with recrimination, bitterness and a fall-out which lasted throughout the winter.
And look at them now.
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Cork won't want to. Indeed, after the cancellation of Monday's official homecoming, they don't even want to look at themselves.
Yet they must. A summer of soul searching awaits and whether they like it or not, they need to turn to their conquerors for inspiration.
Because a year ago Tipperary were in a much worse position than Cork are now. While it helped that they had a quintet of newcomers ready to refresh their panel, Tipp's biggest change wasn't in personnel but in attitude.
No longer prepared to be second rate or second best, they became fitter, tougher, more resilient. Cork needs to do that now too as that's three All-Ireland final defeats in five years now.
And the first rule of any championship winning team is that before you set about beating everyone else, you have to stop beating yourself. Cork dejected (Image: ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne)
BECOME THE NEXT LIMERICK NOT THE NEW MAYO
Cork have now lost five All-Ireland finals since 2005. That's bad.
But hurling has known worse famines. Galway, for a start, lost nine finals between their first and second All-Irelands, and a further six between their fourth and fifth Liam MacCarthys.
Yet by the time they finally got across the line in 2017, the past ceased to be relevant.
A year later Limerick had also learned that lesson when John Kiely rationally downplayed the significance of his county's 45-year wait for an All-Ireland title.
"It's a statistic; nothing more, this 45-year business," Kiely said in advance of that year's win over Galway. "You cannot blame these players for things that happened in previous decades. This is a new Limerick team.'
And an outstanding one, which went on to win five All-Irelands in six years.
So Tipp, Limerick, Galway, and to a lesser extent Clare in 2024, are all examples of how a side can overturn a mental barrier to land the big prize.
The trouble is that the more often you lose crunch games, the more often the past is referenced.
Ask Mayo's footballers about that. This Cork team is in danger of becoming their hurling brothers.
FIND A PLAN B
Cork did have a strategy on Sunday. The trouble was they didn't have a back-up one.
Whether it was ego, blindness or blandness, the truth is they came up against a team playing a sweeper and were confused by the tactic.
How could they have been? Ever since Anthony Daly used Alan Markham as Clare's plus one in the 2004 All-Ireland quarter-final, teams have increasingly played with a seventh defender to nullify their free scoring opponents.
That was Tipp's plan on Sunday. It worked.
While Cork led by six points at half-time, their management were still duty bound to tinker with their tactics. Why not play with two rather than three inside? Why not build the play with shorter passes rather than persist with going long?
And it wasn't just their tactics that were off; their composure and execution were just as bad on a day when their one dimensional approach was shockingly naive.
When Plan A failed, Cork's response was to try Plan A. Yes, playing a long ball worked for two years but Brian Hayes was nullified by Ronan Maher on Sunday as Cork scored only two second half points.
They had to get Robert Downey receiving more possession, had to show greater fight in 50/50 challenges and had to restrict the number of turnovers which led to Tipp scoring 2-4 in that game-changing third quarter.
'They eventually panicked,' said Brendan Cummins, the former Tipp goalkeeper.
A back-up plan would help. Tipperary fans celebrate with the Liam MacCarthy Cup (Image: ©INPHO/Laszlo Geczo)
DON'T LOOK BACK IN ANGER
As well as some harsh truths, there are also some mitigating factors to consider.
Yes, Cork lost a game they could have won. But they missed a penalty, saw Seamus Harnedy's shot rebound off the crossbar, had two Hawkeye queries go against them, and had a further three shots rebound off the post. That's 2-5. Not enough to win the game; certainly enough to make the scoreline look respectable.
Let's also remember they bounced back from a trimming by Limerick to then beat them in the Munster decider and let's also look at how they then became victims of their Munster final success.
Finishing third in Munster aided Tipp's run to an All-Ireland. Firstly, it gave them a three-week break in mid-season; second it provided them with a below-the-radar run to the final.
Laois, Galway, Kilkenny provided increasingly tough opposition, battle-hardening Liam Cahill's side for the ultimate test.
Cork, in contrast, had just one game's prep after Munster. And that wasn't a game; it was an embarrassment. 'Dublin were brutal against Cork which meant it was brutal preparation from a Cork point of view for the final,' said Donal Og Cusack on The Sunday Game.
Perhaps Cork's fans are better to forgive than forget.
DON'T PANIC - NO ONE OUT THERE IS SCARY
This All-Ireland has come too soon for Tipp to start a Cody or Kiely type dynasty.
Instead the hunters must learn how to deal with being hunted. Ask Clare how that feels.
So Tipp won't provide frightening opposition for Cork next year.
Nor Limerick, losers to Dublin, Cork and Clare this year, as well as to Cork last summer. Then there is Kilkenny, whose better players are on their last legs.
Galway were average this year. Waterford have been average every year since 2020.
So this isn't the time for Cork to press the panic button. After all they did that on Sunday and look where it got them.