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Irish Times
a day ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
Ciarán Murphy: Cork may be willing to lose the Munster battle to win the All-Ireland war
We were in conversation with Diarmuid O'Sullivan, John Allen and Jamie Wall last week, at a Second Captains live show in the Everyman in Cork City. We booked the three lads a month ago, when we gazed into our crystal ball and saw a town abuzz with Munster final anticipation, supporting a team on an inexorable march to an All-Ireland title – their first since Allen was manager, and The Rock was in his pomp. The conversation we ended up having was rather different. This final against Limerick coming up on Saturday? Ahhh... we could take it or leave it. If you offered me a narrow defeat with a creditable performance, I'd snap your hand off. Cork need to focus on the big one. Lose the battle, win the war. This seemed to me to be a masterclass in expectation-management, and not even within the confines of the 'yerra' punditry framework, although I suppose that is the point. If you're yerra-ing, and everyone knows you're yerra-ing, then surely that neutralises the yerra (I've already used that word far too often.) What I'm trying to say is that when they said a narrow Cork defeat would be acceptable, I did actually take them at their word. This is not what they'd have said a month ago, but the memory of that beating in the Gaelic Grounds on May 18th, when Limerick tore Cork asunder 3-26 to 1-16, has scarred them. READ MORE I think if you offered any reasonable Cork hurling supporter a defeat by three points or less on Saturday evening, they'd take it – Munster hurling final tradition bedamned. Expecting the gap between a 16-point defeat and winning an All-Ireland title to be closed in one fell swoop seems a little optimistic. In that context, a performance to build on is what the Cork public are looking for. Seldom has one round-robin game had such an outsize impact on how the rest of the championship views itself. Up until May 18th, Cork were favourites, but Tipperary and Kilkenny would not have feared them by any means. Clare sat that round of Munster games out, having surrendered control of their own destiny by losing to Tipperary the week before. But if they could ride their luck and get out of Munster, Cork would hold no fears for them either. The big question going into this championship season was whether Limerick could regather themselves having lost the chance at immortality last year. Our answer came in devastating fashion within the first two minutes in the Gaelic Grounds last month. Limerick manager John Kiely during the Munster Chanpionship game against Cork at the Gaelic Grounds on May 18th. Photograph: Tom Maher/Inpho When Barry Nash found Cian Lynch, and Lynch found Aaron Gillane, and Gillane found the back of the net, there were barely 130 seconds gone. The writing was on the wall early. Cork's full-back line was exposed there, and it would continue to be exposed. Rob Downey's fitness, or lack thereof, was ruthlessly pounced upon – and whether he is selected or not for this Saturday will tell a tale. But Limerick scored as much last year in defeat at the Páirc than they did last month – 3-26 was good enough for a two-point defeat last year, and good enough for a 16-point win this year. It would be churlish to suggest there aren't problems all over the field for Cork. What was most stark was the desire that Limerick showed. Diarmuid O'Sullivan said he had never seen John Kiely so animated on the sideline as he was that day. Given Kiely is never less than demonstrative, that's a fair statement to make. He's managed in five All-Ireland finals, and O'Sullivan has had a ringside seat near him on quite a few occasions as a Cork selector, so he knows what he's talking about. As much as there was hand-wringing over Cork, that was a key question many people asked in the aftermath of that game. How could Limerick care that much? How could they want it that badly? That is what marks out the great from the good. Every time they heard Cork described as All-Ireland favourites, it was a dagger. It would be absurd to think that Limerick want this Munster final more than Cork – they're going for seven provincial titles in a row, for God's sake. But that is nevertheless what you're left with. Limerick have their foot on Cork's throat now, and they will be loath to remove it. The team with the most naked desire for a provincial title this weekend must surely be Galway . A Leinster title would frank some of the progress that has undoubtedly been made since their spineless showing in Nowlan Park in the first round of matches in this year's championship. After that, it looked like being a very short season. They have turned it around to the extent that their fans will travel in expectation of a performance, if not a result. And it's been seven years since their last title too. In that space of time Kilkenny haven't been good enough to win even one All-Ireland, so that's far too long for Galway to go without winning at least a provincial title or two. The standard has not been daunting, and yet Galway haven't been able to capitalise. Galway certainly won't be pulling any punches this weekend. I don't think Cork will be either, but whether it's enough to restore some of the belief that has been lost in the last three weeks – that's another question.
Irish Times
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
‘Scores we missed were brutal': After wasteful win over Waterford, Cork know efficiency is key in Munster final
Hype has the same capricious quality of stocks and shares endlessly disturbed by market sentiment. The time to sell your exposure to Cork hype was seven weeks ago, straight after the league final. If you had a mind to invest now and catch the market at the bottom of the curve, this would be an easy time to buy. [ Cork to face Limerick in Munster SHC final after victory over Waterford ] After weeks of fielding questions about it, Pat Ryan still isn't buying or selling. Did it influence their implosion against Limerick a week ago? Not nearly as much as hitting and hunting and all the other stuff they neglected to do. But for a couple of months the hype was out of Cork's control and that bothered the Cork manager. 'It's hard not to get drawn into the hype and some of it was stupid stuff altogether and a lot of it was coming from outside the county,' he said. READ MORE 'You heard people writing off Limerick, some of our own people – are they off their game or what? From my point of view, look, that was very annoying. I think, sometimes, fellas would be building you up, hoping that you'd get a kick in the ass. 'I thought there was a lot of twisted stuff around it, to be honest with you. If I could find a better word I'd find it, but I thought there was a lot of twisted stuff around it. 'I think our lads are trying to insulate themselves as much as they can and take away the noise. 'I think the learning we got the last day is if you're against any inter-county team – but especially against the likes of Limerick – and if you're a small bit off, they will just make an idiot of you and that's realistically what happened last Sunday.' Cork's inefficiency was an issue again in their 2-25 to 1-22 victory. They hit 17 wides and dropped three shots short. Séamus Harnedy, who was terrific again, scored three points from seven shots and that was emblematic of Cork's finishing. Straight after their first goal, when Waterford were on the rack, Cork hit five wides in about eight minutes and that spell of dominance was spoiled. Cork's Damien Cahalane and Stephen Bennett of Waterford battle it out at Pairc Ui Chaoimh on Sunday. Photograph: James Crombie/INPHO 'The scores we missed were brutal scores, for want of a better word,' Ryan said. 'It wasn't long-range scores or long-range pot-shots, we missed a good few scores around the D and that would be unlike us a bit. 'That's something we'll work on, because our efficiency has to be really, really high against Limerick. It wasn't high the last day. Efficiency is a key part of our game and that's where we need to get to if we want to have any chance in the Munster final.' For Waterford, it was the sixth time they have failed to qualify from the round robin phase of the Munster championship since this system was introduced in 2018. For the second year in a row, they went to the last game needing a win on the road and against the head. Once more it was beyond them. In his frustration afterwards, Peter Queally questioned the fairness of the championship system. 'Clare are the reigning All-Ireland champions, and they were out of the championship because of results last week. Every football team in Ireland is still in the championship. We've been training since October. Don't say that too loudly because we're not meant to be. We've been training in all the winter months,' the Waterford manager said. Cork's Darragh Fitzgibbon and Conor Prunty of Waterford. Photograph: James Crombie/INPHO 'Now the ground is hard, we want to be hurling, and we're gone out of the championship. I'd like to see a change in structure where we're afforded a little bit of a chance to hurl during the summer when everyone wants to hurl and everyone wants to watch hurling, not in December, January and February. 'I've had conversations with fellas who have decided to opt out. People are deciding not to play because of the amount of effort and training that's asked of them all through the winter months. 'Then you come up against three awesome hurling teams and you're putting away your hurley in the summer evenings when all you want to do is hurl.' Whatever else might change, the brutality of the Munster championship remains.
BreakingNews.ie
18-05-2025
- Sport
- BreakingNews.ie
Brian Hayes feared season could have been over for Cork after injury
Cork hurler Brian Hayes has spoken about how victory over Limerick last year gave them a vital boost in the Munster championship ahead of their clash on Sunday. Last year Cork were underdogs as they faced Limerick in the Munster championship, needing a win to keep their championship alive. Advertisement They won in one of the games in the season, and repeated the performance when they met in the All-Ireland semi-finals. Coming into this weekend, Cork are on top of the table with a Division 1A title secured, and are seen by many as favourites for the All-Ireland. Hayes, part of a full-forward line that can't stop scoring, says the victory last May provided a platform to build on. "For us last year, it was do or die. When you are coming up against the All-Ireland champions, it is a nice way to test yourself. Advertisement "It was a close game, and coming out the right side of it gave us that belief to push on again in the All-Ireland series. Hopefully, on Sunday, we can get the right kind of bounce off it." After losing a classic All-Ireland final to Clare, the response from the Rebel county has been immense, as they have never looked back on the heartbreaking defeat in Croke Park last July. Despite always having a talented squad, it has been 20 years since Cork have won Liam MacCarthy. The Cork forward says the wait from 2005 is not talked about in Cork. "There has only been a few lads who have been involved for a good couple of years, it does not really make a difference how long it has been, it doesn't bring any added pressure. Advertisement "We are just focusing on ourselves and the present, it is a long way off for us for still, we are just looking to the weekend and what we can bring to the match on Sunday. If Cork are to be successful this season, Hayes will likely have been a crucial part of it. Scoring for fun in the league and championship, an injury at home to Galway threatened to end his season. In what at first looked serious, thankfully only put him out of action for weeks rather than months, to the relief of the corner forward. Advertisement Sport Offaly's Mairéad Teehan says there is no guarantee... Read More "You fear for the worst at the start but thankfully it wasn't anything serious and we were just relying on symptoms to see how long it would take to get back. "Thankfully, it wasn't too long and I was able to work with the physios and S&Cs that we have, and the doctors. It's been fine since thank God. "The games are coming so thick and fast, you can't really afford to be missing any matches. "We're always minding ourselves and keeping our bodies right. Our S&Cs are good that way, that we're minding ourselves."
