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Irish Examiner
21 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Seán Óg Ó hAilpín: 'Player-driven' Cork have enough to win 'ugly' Dublin contest
Seán Óg Ó hAilpín is the last Cork hurling captain to climb the steps of the Hogan and lift the Liam MacCarthy Cup. That was on September 11, 2005. Not far off 20 years ago. That was the Rebels' 30th All-Ireland title. Pat Ryan's modern-day Cork senior hurlers know the expectation at this juncture. Bridge that gap. Four teams remain: Cork, Dublin, Kilkenny and Tipperary. Cork's last-four pairing with Dublin was a surprising one, given Niall Ó Ceallacháin's men were forced to go toe-to-toe with Limerick with 14 men for the majority of that mad quarter-final two weeks ago. The underdogs on the day answered every question asked of them. Now, they head back to Croker, having given us the story of the championship thus far. But can they back it up? The suspended Chris Crummey is a huge loss, but for Ó hAilpín, there is a mammoth task awaiting Cork on Saturday evening at HQ. "I'm unbelievably wary about this game on Saturday," said Ó hAilpín, speaking at the All-Star Hurling Legends event at the Imperial Hotel, in the company of Tomás Mulcahy, Jimmy Barry-Murphy, Liam Sheedy and Eddie Brennan. "Everyone on the street thinks we're in the final already, that's the narrative going around (among the public). "But what gives me a bit of belief is, I think the culture is driven by the players, not the manager. "Yes, the manager helps drive it, but we have players now, the leaders like (Rob) Downey, Mark Coleman, Darragh Fitz, that (can tell) any young fella that has come in the last couple of years thinking that you can get to All-Ireland finals willy-nilly, semi-finals are hard won. "This game on Saturday is going to be won ugly; it's not going to be free-flowing." Na Piarsaigh stalwart Ó hAilpín weariness of Dublin surrounds their growth in certain aspects of play; their short-game, their scoring ability are two such points of improvement. "Dubin are going to ask questions of Cork from a management point of view. We're going to have to break down Dublin's resilience. "They could arguably play six backs, two guys floating inside, pack it inside and then, they have the skillset now when they're breaking out, their short-game is much better now. "They can score as well, you look at the scores they've clocked up in the Leinster championship." The mindset - and ability - within the Cork dressing room gives the three-time All-Ireland winner enough belief that Ryan and his players will get a chance to redeem last year's All-Ireland defeat to Clare. "Cork, but not without a struggle," Ó hAilpín concluded.
Irish Examiner
a day ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Jimmy Barry-Murphy: Cork well able to deal with favorites' tag but Dublin provide dangerous opposition
Cork legend Jimmy Barry-Murphy has backed the Cork hurlers to negotiate their way past a stern Dublin test at Croke Park on Saturday evening. Cork and Dublin have taken different routes to get here, one more scenic than the other. Cork negotiated their way through the Munster round-robin and onto a meeting with John Kiely's Limerick in the provincial SHC final they eventually won in magnificent fashion after a penalty shootout. For Dublin, it was different. Niall Ó Ceallacháin's men built through the Leinster SHC and having qualified, took care of Kildare and turned their focus to Limerick. Chris Crummey's dismissal after 15 minutes made the difficult task an almost impossible one, but thanks to goals from John Hetherton and Cian O'Sullivan, they earned the scalp of the last 50 years and a semi-final date with Cork. Barry-Murphy feels that result has 'forewarned' Cork of the threat Dublin pose. 'I have huge respect for Dublin, I couldn't believe that they beat Limerick, I didn't see that coming, particularly when I saw the man getting sent off,' Barry-Murphy said, speaking at the All-Star Hurling Legends event at the Imperial Hotel. 'In the modern game, the way players use the ball, no team with 14 men ever seem to come out and win. Tremendous credit to Dublin and their management. 'Cork have been forewarned, and hopefully it means Cork are forearmed. After last year's final, the hunger is there. 'They've built huge momentum after the Munster final, but it's something they've got to live with now; the pressure of being hot favourites, but I think they are well able for that, but it's going to be a huge test.' The St Finbarr's clubman continued: 'Trying to get to an All-Ireland final, this is a huge day when so much can go wrong and that is where the pressure could build on Cork, but I think we have the players that can beat Dublin. 'We'll be taking nothing for granted because it's a dangerous, dangerous game.' The multi-time All-Ireland-winning player and manager believes Ryan has managed to hit the right balance with his team selection, but acknowledged the unavailability of talisman Seamus Harnedy. 'He (Harnedy) is a big loss. Damien Cahalane played well in the Munster final, unlucky to lose his place. I think Pat has just decided Niall O'Leary has been our best back all year. I think he has picked the right team in fairness to him. 'Duds (Diarmuid) Healy has been fantastic. It was a big ask in the Munster final, I thought he played very, very well. Declan Dalton is coming back in. 'He will suit the game against Dublin, and Pat has a lot of subs now; Cahalane, Shane Kingston, Conor Lehane, Robbie O'Flynn, all ready to come in. It's a strong squad.'
