Pat Ryan vows redemption as Cork bid to bounce back from Limerick mauling in Munster final rematch

The Irish Sun

2 days ago

PAT RYAN felt the attitude of his players in their 'embarrassing' defeat to Limerick was unacceptable.
And the
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Cork manager Pat Ryan has urged to bounce back in their rematch against Limerick
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Cork and Limerick face one another in the Munster final on Saturday
However, Ryan has vowed that the Rebels will give a much better account of themselves when the teams meet again in Saturday evening's
Cork are set to contest their first provincial decider since 2018, despite being blown away during the round-robin phase by a Limerick side chasing a seventh straight Munster title.
Reflecting on the 3-26 to 1-16 defeat, Ryan remarked: 'It was a puzzling one and I probably look back on my own role. Maybe I didn't go after them enough.
'Maybe I wasn't driving the standard over the last couple of weeks and maybe a small bit of complacency slipped in as regards we were kind of winning matches and going well enough.
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'But obviously Limerick were well prepared. They had a lot of stuff right on the day, as they always do. You could see that was a game they had really targeted since we beat them last year in the All-Ireland semi-final.'
Cork, who romped to National League glory in April, were subjected to a sobering loss at the TUS Gaelic Grounds by a Limerick team who showed scant regard for the opposition's then-status as All-Ireland favourites.
For John Kiely's men, who the bookies now fancy to reclaim the Liam MacCarthy Cup, it was sweet revenge for the defeat last summer that ruined their bid for an unprecedented five in a row.
Acknowledging his team was 'ill-prepared to what we were facing', Ryan — whose side scored Cork's lowest Championship tally since 2016 that day.
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He said: 'Your standard has to be your standard around your attitude and your effort.
"That wasn't what our standard has been over the last three years that we've been here. That was the most disappointing thing.
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'We let down our fans. Losing to Limerick is never embarrassing but losing to any team in that manner is embarrassing.'
While a Limerick win was by no means an upset, the resounding manner in which they were beaten was an eye-opener for Cork. The manager is sure they will be far better this weekend.
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Ryan added: 'We felt that we had got out of that situation where we wouldn't be putting in that kind of a bad performance.
"Maybe I took my eye off the ball on that, but I can guarantee you we'll be able to perform.
'Complacency is probably the wrong word because there's never complacency against Limerick.
'It was more, 'Yeah, we're going grand' — that kind of attitude. Things are moving along grand and that kind of thing.
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'You need to be on it. We need to be physical, aggressive and really going at it and, in fairness, we weren't going at it that day.'
Cork rebounded to beat Waterford and earn a chance to set the record straight this weekend.
But significant improvement will be required if they are to collect their second piece of silverware in 2025.
Ryan said: 'When you put on that Cork jersey, it has to mean something to you. We've been saying that all the time. From our point of view, it wasn't acceptable.
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'We talk about the fans all the time and that's one thing. But at the end of the day, it wasn't acceptable for our group, it wasn't acceptable for their parents, their families, their friends.
'They're the people you're playing for all the time. People are spending big money to get up there and support us and we need to make sure we're honouring that.'
In the aftermath of the win over Waterford, Ryan expressed the belief that there were 'twisted' motives behind some of the pre-Championship hype around Cork.
A series of impressive displays en route to claiming National League honours prompted some observers to suggest a first All-Ireland title in 20 years was becoming increasingly inevitable for Ryan's side.
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Speaking at a press event arranged by Cork in advance of the Munster final, the gaffer said: 'We weren't talking about it inside here but it's hard because fellas are amateur athletes.
"They're going into work, you're hearing it.
'I'm not on social media. Fellas are seeing it on social media.
'There are WhatsApp groups, text messages going around. There was even one that came to my phone about Saving Private Ryan. A fella sent that to me on the Sunday morning before the match.
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'And I was thinking, 'What the . . . ?' You just get on with that.
'Don't get me wrong, I know that's the game we're in now as well and it's brilliant.
'That's why we had a media night. Some people don't have it but we like to have it. I think we're here to promote the games.
'Fellas want to hear and read about the matches. I loved reading about the matches myself when I wasn't involved. That's why we do it but from my point of view, I thought some of it was rubbish.
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"The really annoying thing was some of our own people writing off Limerick. Are they off their game? That's only setting us up for a fall.
'They're things that fellas pin to dressing rooms and that couldn't be further from the truth. We try to be as humble as we can.'
Before Cork began their Championship campaign with a rematch of last year's All-Ireland final against Clare, one bookmaker even paid out on the 2024 runners-up going all the way in 2025.
Ryan insisted: 'That was only a gimmick and a stunt and wrong for a betting company to be doing that to amateur athletes, putting them under that pressure.'
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Twenty days removed from their 16-point hammering in Limerick, Cork will return to the same venue to face the only team ever to win six consecutive Munster crowns.
When he reminds his players that to be forewarned is to be forearmed, Ryan knows that they cannot afford to allow the advice to fall on deaf ears.
He added: 'I had told the lads we were going to get an unbelievable version of Limerick on that day. Maybe they didn't believe us –— but they know now.'