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The 42
3 days ago
- General
- The 42
Pat Ryan: 'Some of our own people writing off Limerick. Are they off their game?'
PAT RYAN MANAGES as he played: the focus always on a job well done with minimal fuss, rather than actively seeking out the limelight. Throughout his tenure as Cork boss, Ryan has referenced the need to 'represent the jersey', cognisant of the tradition he has inherited and the expectations that come with that. Last July, Ryan's side went toe-to-toe with Clare for 90 minutes as they sought to end what at the time was a 19-year wait for an All-Ireland SHC. This time around, they have the Allianz HL title already banked and will contest Saturday evening's Munster final against Limerick. Certainly, Cork hurling has been taken to a good place under Ryan's stewardship but, such is the nature of the fervour on Leeside, the hype can quickly be ramped up. Little wonder then, that, when asked about the hysteria in the wake of the league final – which included a bookmaker paying out on Cork as All-Ireland champions – Ryan's response bordered on incredulity. 'To be honest, we weren't talking about it inside here but it's hard because fellas are amateur athletes,' he says. 'They're going into work, you're hearing it. I'm not on social media, [but] fellas are seeing it on social media. There's text messages going around, there was even one came to my phone about Saving Private Ryan at one stage. Advertisement 'A fella sent that to me on the Sunday morning before the [Limerick round-robin] match and I was thinking, 'What the…?!' 'You get on with that, don't get me wrong, I know that's the game we're in now as well – that's why we had a media night tonight, we feel we need 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. '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. That's what we try to do in Cork. 'There was a thing written ages ago around the football thing, which I'd say John Cleary here hates it, this thing about 'Corkness.' It drives me mad when I hear that thing. What's Corkness? 'It's about representing the jersey as best we can instead of that and I don't think that's right, but look it's from my point of view, I just thought a lot of it was wrong. 'Even about Paddy Power paying, that was only a gimmick and a stunt and wrong for a betting company to be doing that for amateur athletes, putting them under that pressure.' The hype wasn't dampened so much as soaked by the 16-point loss at TUS Gaelic Grounds two weeks ago, meaning Cork go in as underdogs on Saturday as Limerick chase a seventh straight Munster title. For Ryan, the key objective is to perform far better than in the first game. 'What I would say is if you lose by five or six points, you can say we were tired or the three-week break or we had a long campaign coming off the league final,' he says. 'But, when you get hammered like that, you just look at it systemically, where was that attitude from and we just left them hurl all over the field. '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 in that we were going well enough but look, obviously, Limerick were well prepared. 'They had a lot of stuff right on the day, as they always do. You can see that was a game they had really targeted since we beat them in the All-Ireland semi-final. 'Our job is to make sure we're right the next day.'
The Irish Sun
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Pat Ryan vows redemption as Cork bid to bounce back from Limerick mauling in Munster final rematch
PAT RYAN felt the attitude of his players in their 'embarrassing' defeat to Limerick was unacceptable. And the Advertisement 2 Cork manager Pat Ryan has urged to bounce back in their rematch against Limerick 2 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. Advertisement READ MORE ON GAA '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. Advertisement Most read in GAA Football 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. 'Like something out of the French Revolution' - RTE GAA pundit Donal Og Cusack slams Dublin star's reckless swipe '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. Advertisement 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. Advertisement '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. Advertisement '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. Advertisement ALL TALK 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. Advertisement '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. Advertisement "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.' Advertisement 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.'
