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Cork GAA Discussion Thread
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Be after the final.I said it here that,harnedy has it all ,plenty of hurling.The guy is timmy and niall mac and tomas mulchay in one.Harnedy got three goals for UCC today against Sars. Finished at 5-9 to 1-21. When will the replay be?
Id say he will do a spell on the square v clare.All our guys in top form,great for cork.0 -
I didnt want clare again,i fear them.They can be beaten,but they are serious team,a beast driven with hunger and matched with skill.
They blew limerick away,and should have won by more.Cork would have beaten limerick again,and todays shows like i said limerick were overblown,over hyped and weak, and the horgan sending off had a huge impact on that game.
I have said it here i never rated allen tactically,never did with cork,today fully justifes my point.Cusack and former players praise him as a man manager,but rarely have i heard them praise he tactial genuis.
He got lucky with cork in 05,and like counihan,one title does not hide hes shortcomings.
Clare are much better than they were in june,have the revenge factor and a super team blessed with expierence of minor and u21 finals,we only have 3,and we lost them.
But cork have grown ,and became much better,and are panel wise much better fully fit than the june game,and we love croker.
We could well be beaten,and its no shame to loose to that clare side,but it will be close and a puck of the ball.
Unlike allen.jbm wont be as naive ,and will start with hes best team,or close to it,and we have every chance.0 -
I wasnt at the game,but talking to a lad that was,all 3 goals by harnedy were meant to have been great goals.
The game with st itas and midelton was cancelled saturday night,and that was a great call,certainly helped Harnedy.
No injuries,and murphy in fine health,a fully fit squad,for the first time and most important game of all.
My worry has been a natural full back ,and that could haunt us yet.We have no man to mark Honan in that role.Be interesting how we cope.Mcdonnell is in form,and done well for the Glen,but he isnt commanding enough at full back.0 -
Thinkstoomuch wrote: »I didnt want clare again,i fear them.They can be beaten,but they are serious team,a beast driven with hunger and matched with skill.
Clare will fear us too. We got a better test against Dublin than what Clare got today. I think we will have too much for them in final. Cork hurlers love Croke Park and Corks forward line is better than Limerick and Galways. Cork will be alot tighter on their markers and i dont think Clare are as fast as Dublin and we survived that. It will be close but think Cork will be the best of what will face Clare this year and I think we will win by 4-5 points, provided we don't play a stinker in final which is highly unlikely. The only things I would be worried about is Clare will shoot from all angles so if they go over it will harder for us to win but we love our hurling in Cork and we are not going to lose to Clare in an All Ireland Final without a serious fight. Should be an epic final.0 -
When are the All Ireland Final tickets on sale0
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From the paper
Sarsfields 1-21 UCC 5-09
Sarsfields can thank their lucky stars they remain in the Cork SHC after an injury-time Cian McCarthy pointed free earned them a draw against a UCC team which had staged a dramatic four-goal second-half recovery.
The holders made the most of their early dominance to open up a seven-point lead at the break, but a major improvement from the students — inspired by two goals from Cork starlet Seamus Harnedy — turned the game on its head at Páirc Uí Rinn.
Sars started smartly, opening up an early three-point gap and really took control after the first of three Harnedy goals had levelled the scores.
With both teams including two members of Cork’s starting 15, Daniel Kearney was first to make an impact, forming a solid midfield partnership for Sarsfields with Wexford player Eoin Quigley.
Tom Curren and Robert O’Shea gave UCC encouragement with quick points.
However, as the game progressed, and Sarsfields further settled, Michael Cussen emerged as a key figure for them at corner-forward, unbeatable in the air, decisive in his shooting and distributing the ball cleverly.
Cian McCarthy at centre-forward was also influential, along with Ray Ryan at centre-back, while Conor O’Sullivan was typically dependable against corner-forward Jack Ahern, who, along with William Griffin, showed up best in the College attack.
With Sarsfields turning over 0-14 to 1-4 in front, the game changed radically in a matter of five minutes after Harnedy — now operating at the edge of the square — went through for two goals. Gradually the students achieved a significant improvement all over the field, with William Egan excelling after moving to centre-back and, even more importantly, Colm Spillane doing a splendid job in almost totally eliminating the threat being posed by Cussen.
Then, following a fourth UCC goal, from substitute Jamie Barron in the 45th minute, Sarsfields’ lead was reduced to a single point.
In response, the champions again lifted their standard, with a magnificent point from Cian McCarthy followed by one from Tadgh Óg Murphy, before McCarthy expertly put over two frees to open up a five-point gap.
But UCC were far from finished, replying with three points in as many minutes before Jack Ahern produced their fifth goal to put them a point clear.
Harnedy followed quickly with a point but, with time running out, Sarsfields were given hope when they won a close-in free in the last minute of normal time.
McCarthy tried for goal but the ball was deflected over the bar. A second free from about 50 yards then sailed over as Sars lived to fight again.
Scorers for Sarsfields: C McCarthy 1-7 (0-4f), M Cussen 0-3, D Kearney, K Murphy (1f), E O’Sullivan and T Óg Murphy 0-2 each, G O’Loughlin, E Quigley and C Leahy 0-1 each.
Scorers for UCC: S Harnedy 3-1, J Ahern 1-3 (0-2f); J Barron 1-0, T Curran, R O’Shea, Brian Lawton, W Griffin and Barry Lawton 0-1 each.
SARSFIELDS: A Kennedy; G O’Kelly Lynch, J Barry, C O’Sullivan; W Kearney, R Ryan, C Leahy; D Kearney, E Quigley; T Óg Murphy, C McCarthy, G O’Loughlin; E O’Sullivan, K Murphy, M Cussen.
Subs: D Roche for O’Loughlin (49), E Martin for Quigley (51).
UCC: P O’Brien (St Ita’s, capt); B Cleary (Knockainey), D Glynn (Dicksboro), C Spillane (Castlelyons); J Barry (Upperchurch Drombane), P Prendergast (Lismore), W Egan (Kilbrin); T Curren (Ballinameala), R O’Shea (Carrigaline); Barry Lawton (Castlemartyr), Brian Lawton (Castlemartyr), S Harnedy (St Ita’s); W Griffin (Adare) M Sugrue (Bandon), J Ahern (Killeedy).
Subs: J Barron (Fourmilewater) for Sugrue (ht).
Referee: Colm Lyons (Nemo R).0 -
Great to C ,Colm spillane back again after injury.He will make the panel for the final.0
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Whta do people make of Middleton's chances of winning the County? Have some impressive names for a club team with Lehane, O'Farrell, Brian Hartnett and Jamie Nagle, and I assume Kevin Hartnett is still playing?
That UCC team looks very good on paper in fairness, but then I know that Paudie Prendergast and Jamie Barron were both playing with their clubs on Friday (and will they have the avalablity of their players from here on in if they overcome Sarsfields). And obviously Sars are favourites to win it out, but just wondering who yed fancy for it?0 -
I think Cork have used up their "good" ref quotas after the last 2 games.MisterAnarchy wrote: »We will need a good ref for the final to stop Clare getting away with their constant fouling .
If anything this clare team is too honest. Cork wouldnt have got away with the late tackle on conlon from the first game with the team from the 90's.0 -
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Mountainlad wrote: »Whta do people make of Middleton's chances of winning the County? Have some impressive names for a club team with Lehane, O'Farrell, Brian Hartnett and Jamie Nagle, and I assume Kevin Hartnett is still playing?
That UCC team looks very good on paper in fairness, but then I know that Paudie Prendergast and Jamie Barron were both playing with their clubs on Friday (and will they have the avalablity of their players from here on in if they overcome Sarsfields). And obviously Sars are favourites to win it out, but just wondering who yed fancy for it?
On paper Ucc or sars and midelton are favourites.
Ucc ,with players from everywhere will do well to get them to gel,and availble and play as a team.
A lot of individual talent with,egan,fives,harney,o shea and mark sugrue.
Midelton in my view have too many tappy skilful hurlers,but i wonder in a dogfight,close game in a wet day,have they the heart and stomach for a battle.
Lehane,o farell are top players,but haughney,aidan ryan, and former minor o shea are hot and cold.
Bud hartnett has talent but temperament is questionable.Hes brother kevin stayed with russell rovers,i think,only brian got transferred.
Nagle is a fine half back,sum paw on him.One of the few postives under denis walsh,im suprised he didnt get a recall to the cork squad.
My dark horse is Na parsiagh,a half back line of sean og,gardiner,joyce with ex cork 2006 panel player ronan mcgregor,and padraig gould and stephen sullivan,on their day,could do an upset.
Could suprise the Glen.
Sarsfields will rattle it,id like to see some one else win it0 -
A good article that at long last raised valid points in the paper
WHILE the buzz is back thanks to Jimmy Barry-Murphy’s young team, two key appointments for next season could shape the future of Cork hurling as much as the All-Ireland final against Clare.
The struggles of Cork’s minor and U21 teams in recent years have been well documented, and while at times neither side has gotten any breaks in crunch games, the fact remains the minors haven’t even been Munster champions since 2008 and the U21s since 2007.
In that period a provincial final was only reached once, when Limerick beat Cork after extra time in the classic 2011 U21 showdown.
Ger Fitzgerald was U21 boss for that game and four years in total, while Pat Kennelly has been minor bainisteoir for a two-year term, with John Considine at the helm before him.
Fitzgerald and Kennelly could yet be returned to their posts, but the Cork County Board executive and the club delegates need to think long and hard about what direction they want to take before making any decisions.
While – understandably because the results have been underwhelming – the minor and U21 management teams have been criticised, there won’t be any magic formula to restore Cork to the top at underage. The hurling landscape has changed utterly.
The Harty Cup issue, and specifically the fact Cork’s best hurlers are no longer concentrated in a handful of super schools, means Leeside does not dominate the competition like it once did. Since Midleton CBS, captained by Paudie O’Sullivan and featuring Luke O’Farrell, were the last Rebel school to be victorious in 2006 four Waterford schools have won the Harty, Ardscoil Rís from Limerick on two occasions, along with Thurles CBS.
At minor level in the province during that spell – 2007 to 2013 – Clare (twice), Limerick and Waterford have been crowned champions, as well as Tipp (twice) and Cork back in ’08. In addition the Déise have contested three other finals and last week reached the All-Ireland for the first time in 21 years.
The Banner especially have carried their minor progress into the U21 arena, and after a cruel defeat in the 2008 Munster final to Tipp following a controversial late umpiring decision, they’ve powered to All-Ireland titles in ’09 and last year, and another Munster this summer. With the likes of Tony Kelly leading the way, they could yet secure a senior and U21 All-Ireland double next month.
Clearly there is a new wave of hurlers from outside the traditional bluebloods that have no respect for or fear of Cork and Tipp. That’s probably down to a combination of positive Harty Cup experiences, improved underage set-ups and the democracy of the back-door.
Whatever the reason, Cork simply can’t expect to be dominant to the degree they were. That doesn’t excuse every bad result of course.
The struggles since the mid noughties are emphasised by many of the players who didn’t cut it at minor or U21 winning Fitzgibbon Cups – UCC have three since 2009 and CIT reached the 2012 final – and now starring at senior level under JBM. Something is going seriously wrong.
At the same time and contrary to popular perception, there is serious work going on with development squads on Leeside. Speaking to county board officers, they’re confident they will yield a dividend in the short term.
One of the great challenges with development squads is that, because the size of the county, mentors must cast the net far and wide. Corkonians from 13 to 16 years of age simply can’t get the specialised training the same youngsters in Clare or Waterford do.
A lack of self-belief and confidence has hampered Cork minor teams lately, but that could be linked to a succession of disappointments at senior and the fall-out from the last strike. Cork hurling hadn’t – until this summer anyway – shown the swagger of old.
If Patrick Cronin lifts Liam McCarthy on September 8, the energy it creates will invigorate every Rebel team next year.
For all that potential positivity, the make-up of the 2013 minor and U21 management teams is still essential.
The time has come for the senior stars of 1999 and 2003-’06 to be recruited. The stars of the late ‘80s and the early ‘90s have had their chance in charge of the budding Rebels.
Fergal Ryan and Mark Landers have been involved with U17 squads so surely they’re viable candidates at minor. Donal Óg Cusack might be a divisive figure, but it says it all that John Mullane has been pushing him as a potential Waterford senior manager: Cork shouldn’t let him slip over the border.
By their presence alone Diarmuid O’Sullivan, Joe Deane, Seán Óg Ó hAilpín and Brian Corcoran would be inspirational in a dressing room or an a training field; consider how the current Cork team are constantly singing the praises of their selectors, all former All-Ireland winners.
From the club scene the likes of Midleton native Seán O’Brien and current Newcestown coach Eddie Murphy, who impressed with Bishopstown and Ballymartle, must be considered too.
There are no easy answers and there won’t be a quick fix to start winning underage All-Irelands again. However Cork need to be more competitive, regularly annexing Munster honours and reaching the last four at minor and U21.
There’s still a strong argument the Cork County Board should appoint a Director of Hurling – and equivalent in football – to co-ordinate Rebel efforts.
Not on a political basis, but simply to ensure unity and direction and to guarantee there is a universal approach to strength and conditioning and fitness.
With the countdown on to All-Ireland final day, significant progress could be made for the benefit of Cork at every level. During the strikes some genuine hurling men on both sides of the divide were painted in black and white.
Surely from the shades of grey in the middle Cork could come together and move onwards? With some sensible moves, Rebel hurling could become a true force again.0 -
These the same stars that have set cork hurling back by at least 10 years, a group of egotistical individuals that under achieved as players.The time has come for the senior stars of 1999 and 2003-’06 to be recruited
If waterford want Donal og they are welcome to him, and if you want a good laugh have a look at John Mullanes predictions for 2013 SHC.0 -
These the same stars that have set cork hurling back by at least 10 years, a group of egotistical individuals that under achieved as players.
If waterford want Donal og they are welcome to him, and if you want a good laugh have a look at John Mullanes predictions for 2013 SHC.
Erra yeah...pull the other leg.
And mullane wasnt the only one that got the predictions wrong.Can you tell me any pundit that was right this year.Id say not.0 -
Paudie o Sullivan is in with a shout of making Cloyne squad for replay with Youghal I hear, he's back training 4/5 times a week, which is good to hear.0
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On the Line: Dónal Óg Cusack on Hurling
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Just a few weeks ago I was sitting up in the Cooley Mountains wondering about the oddness of a world where you could spend a career being abused for your short puck-outs and then drive the length of the country to compete in a Poc Fada competition run over hill and mountain tracing in the footsteps of the warrior Setanta as he made his way to Co. Meath.
Dalo was devouring Seanie McGrath like a python eating a rabbit in a David Attenborough film. As poor Seánie's little bobtail disappeared down Dalo's gullet, Dalo waved a fist at the camera and a fist to the crowd.
A Clare fella came out of nowhere and sat down beside me. The usual old chat. Who's going to win the All Ireland?
I said what I thought. That with Kilkenny gone it was anybody's championship. He looked at me and said,
“You know of course who is our biggest problem. Your man.”
When you hear that from a Clare fella it can only be Davy Fitz they are talking about.
I said back, and I meant it, that I think Davy is a great asset. To Clare, the game and our Association. The GAA needs characters. Hurling needs characters. I love the way his team plays. He has a new system, a new style and it shows years of thought and imagination.
"Yeah but look at him on the line," said my friend. “The carry on. Compare him to ye’re man."
We will compare them. That's one of the reasons that makes this final so worth looking forward to. Cork played lovely hurling, especially in their semi-final. Clare play lovely hurling. Will somebody blink? Will somebody lose their nerve?
Jimmy Barry-Murphy must smile to himself at the irony of things. Here he is doing again what he did in 1999 but this time the opposition is more like the 1999 version of Cork than even Cork are. Precocious, with a lot of underage success behind them and probably afraid of nothing.
In 1999, September was bonus territory for us. It should be the same this year for Cork but the season has been so magical that the sense of expectation in Cork is massive. How Jimmy handles things and how Davy handles things for the next few weeks will be brilliant to watch.
Clare, like Cork, are ahead of their own development curve. The key to Clare's game is that it is fluid. It changes when it needs to. Podge Collins gets called away to perform some other task and another man has the intelligence to fill in. They are like that everywhere. Their style is like a river making its way through mountains. Fast and shallow when it needs to be, quiet and deep when necessary. It makes its way through the path that will get it to the sea.
Clare's style takes many forms and it is constantly changing. Not unlike their manager. Davy has mellowed into a quiet enough presence now, compared to the full harvest moon version who lit up the hurling world back in the 1990s. It had to be so. He has reined himself in and produced a team worth paying good money to watch.
If you judged books by their covers you wouldn't have thought that a graduate of the Loughnane school would have come up with something so subtle. I remember back in the early days when I joined the senior panel with Cork when we started playing the old team there was almost a sense of fear of Clare in our dressing room. They had such an aura about them. They hammered us a couple of times. We came away wondering would we ever match what they had.
A couple of years later in 1999, I remember a fella from Castlemartyr came up to me as I was coming out of training on the Thursday night. We were playing Clare on the Sunday. The Castlemartyr man asked me had I any tickets going. I hadn't and I commented to him that they were fierce hard to come by, that he may have left it late. He said to me, 'to be honest it isn't ye I want to go and see at all. I want to see Clare like.'
I thought to myself that maybe he should see how he'd get on looking for tickets above in Ennis if he loved them so much, but I could see his point. They were an awesome team. The most shy and retiring of their defence was Seánie McMahon and I rated him so highly that one of my prize possessions is the jersey he swapped with me after his last-ever Munster game.
We got over them in the end though on that Sunday. We did it through nerve and a lot of that nerve came, in fairness, from Mark Landers. Mark and me would have our differences down the years but he had carraigs on him that you could see from the moon. He had great confidence and didn't fear anybody and in the end that rubbed off on us.
He organised a video for us in 1999 of Anthony Daly. We were in Dundrum House, the usual hotel in Tipp, before the game when Landers stuck his movie on. ‘Dalo’ was devouring Seánie McGrath like a python eating a rabbit in a David Attenborough film. As poor Seánie's little bobtail disappeared down Dalo's gullet, Dalo waved a fist at the camera and a fist to the crowd.
That got to us. Dalo was on the way to matching Christy Ring’s record of captaining three All-Ireland winning teams. That got to us as well. That made it the day we stood up to Clare. From the parade to the final whistle we waged war on them.
And the strange thing which we realised afterwards was that when we stopped and thought about it, we almost expected to win it. Our sense of entitlement came back. We'd won two minor Munster titles and three U21 Munster titles. This was only a natural progression. It's not that black and white coming off underage success but it's not far off it either.
(It's dangerous to say this in these happy times for Cork but it would be a dangerous thing for us in Cork if this team's great success papered over the cracks we have at underage and colleges level. We've only to look around us at our neighbours in Munster to see what talents they are each growing on their underage allotments. Mushrooms maybe, but mushrooms won't stave away a famine. If Cork win on September 8, it would be dangerous for us to swallow any propaganda that this was part of some five-year plan).
Clare learned this. When the great, fearsome team of the 1990s went away they found they had nothing coming through to replace them. There wasn't a structure in place that took the skills of all the kids whose imaginations had been fired up in the glory years after 1995 and turned those skills into a team which would continue the legacy.
(It was almost too late by the time they got things right but they have them right now and the energy of Clare hurling is coming from places like Clonlara and Cratloe and Crusheen).
At the beginning and the end of it all back then for Clare was one Davy Fitz. He was a force of nature. Not a rainbow or a spring shower. Some kind of walking cyclone. We wouldn't have had a lot of time for each other. Playing with Munster was the only time we were thrown together. If Brendan Cummins of Tipp was the other goalie, myself and himself could rub along grand. If it was me and Davy, we snarled at each other like the two most dementedly competitive lunatics on the block. We'd have no interest in having a cup of tea and a chat together but I always knew where he was coming from.
I stood behind the goals in Páirc Uí Chaoimh in 1999 specifically to study himself and Cummins when Clare played Tipp. I got the All Star that year but I know that Davy Fitz deserved it. It was reversed I reckon in 2005 but in 1999, for that afternoon alone, he deserved the All Star.
Paul Shelley was full-forward for Tipp that afternoon. He could have been a hero. Should have been.
A couple of things stood out for me that day, however. Into a blinding sun, facing the charge of the light brigade, Davy could catch a ball underneath the crossbar. And he is not a big man. In golf they say you drive for show and you putt for dough. Goalies know what looks good and what is a real challenge. That's a real challenge. That is as tough as it gets in that position.
Shelley was through that day with a couple of minutes to go and Davy made a ferocious save, a brilliant save that kept them alive. Now you're a goalie in that atmosphere at the height of the game and your adrenalin goes mad when you make a save like that. But a minute or so later Clare got a penalty and Davy made his way up the field to take it. If he scored Clare got to live another day. If he didn't score they were out.
How could you calm yourself? But...
Just before the penalty, one of the Tipp corner backs got injured. I don't remember if it was Liam Sheedy or Donnacha Fahy; I think it was Sheedy though. Davy went to take the penalty. Davy's preferred and natural strike of the ball in that position would have been from right to left. At that moment, every sports shrink and every coach would tell you to fall back on muscle memory and do what you are most comfortable with. But Davy struck the ball low the other direction at the injured Sheedy. Goal.
Some people wouldn't give Davy the credit for that. I would but even if you don't, his performance topped by the moment of cold blood it took to score a penalty against Cummins was incredible. Maybe he's mad like they say but for me there's a method in there.
Ha! He was something else. Cork forwards used to talk of the abuse he'd give them. I remember in 2005 when we beat them he picked up the umpire's green flag and waved it at the Cork crowd. We'd won but he hadn't been beaten for a goal and he was defiant right to the end.
The challenge he has now isn't much different than the challenge he had in his playing days. All that madness and passion he had for the game, he had to control it and put his hand up under the crossbar and catch a dropping ball as he faced the blinding sun. He had to go the length of the field in the dying seconds and weigh up the weakest link in the lads on the line trying to save his penalty.
For the next few weeks he has to control the madness of Clare, the precociousness of his team, the expectations and the criticisms. He has the attention to detail to carry it off.
I used to take a look at Davy's hurleys. You can tell a lot from a fella’s hurleys, about how engaged his brain is with the game. You could see the attention to detail. Davy's hurleys were always perfectly gripped. Always good hurleys and he would often have two bits of band on the back of the bas. It doesn't matter whether those two strips of band made a difference or not. You could tell that this fella was thinking about the game night and day just by having them there looking for the edge.
This summer, referees have shipped a lot of criticism for high-profile mistakes in big games. There have been mistakes, human errors but what has gone unnoticed is that the way the game has been refereed has put the emphasis back on skill.
We were in danger of going in a direction of being left with a game that only allowed for players who were six feet two and fifteen stone to play it. Fellas with the resilience of rugby wing-forwards, who could bounce off the third man tackle, disarm the spare hand interference, drive through the neck high challenge and then think about getting rid of the ball.
We have evolved this summer into a game of fast movement which uses the spaces. It is a healthy response and one that thoughtful hurling people saw coming. Two of the more thoughtful teams have reached the September summit playing that way. Lads like Daniel Kearney and Podge Collins can light up the game in the same way the Joe Deanes and the Jamesie O Connors did in the past.
Across the ring in the red corner Davy Fitz faces another icon. Davy and Jimmy have brought their thoroughly modern teams along at just the right time. It's some jungle. It's some rumble. Two characters who can float like butterflies and sting like bees once they hold the nerve...0 -
Great to hear,he was out on the field against dublin.TheBigGreen wrote: »Paudie o Sullivan is in with a shout of making Cloyne squad for replay with Youghal I hear, he's back training 4/5 times a week, which is good to hear.
He is very much part of the cork set up still off the field.He must be heartbroken not being able to play in the final.
I hope he only comes back if fully fit,as he doesnt nd a relapse.0 -
Lets not forget we have an ireland final saturday night,Cork and kildare in the Junior football.They deserve a big crowd in fairness.
Going for no 17.0 -
A great article on Colm O Neill
COLM COULD HAVE BEEN A HURLING STAR
THURSDAY, AUGUST 22, 2013
THOUGH Ciarán Sheehan and Aidan Walsh are perhaps better known losses to JBM’s squad, Colm O’Neill was an equally gifted underage hurler for Cork.
Indeed the 24-year-old has an U21 Munster hurling medal, which eluded Walsh and Sheehan, who are two years younger. O’Neill captained Cork to All-Ireland U21 glory in 2009, and was catapulted to the senior squad.
However back in 2007, straight out of minor having won provincial medals in both codes, the Ballyclough man was a Munster winner in U21 hurling and football, and also lifted the All-Ireland in the latter, when he scored a goal against Laois in the final.
Cork’s U21 hurlers missed out on the decider that season, when Galway defeated them in extra time of the All-Ireland semi-final in extra-time, after pinching an equaliser with a dubious last-gasp free.
O’Neill was an inside forward with the small ball too, and slipped in a trademark goal six years ago, in what turned out to be his last hurling game for Cork.
Naturally the AIB employee is thoroughly enjoying the unexpected run Jimmy Barry-Murphy’s charges have gone on.
Shane O’Neill, Eoin Cadogan, Pa Cronin, Cathal Naughton, Pat Horgan, Stephen Moylan and Stephen White were all involved in ’07, while Paudie O’Sullivan was only missing through injury. It was a serious crop of hurlers.
“I’d have played with a handful of the lads and it’s great to see, especially when at the start of the year no one tipped them to get to thean All-Ireland final, and the two teams that were in the relegation final are now playing into September.
“Personally I think they’ll do it and it’s a great boost for the people of Cork and a great boost for them.
“They say there hasn’t been a lot of underage success in Cork hurling, but you go back to that team and about seven of those lads have pushed through. They’d have been the standout players at that level and are now stepping up to the plate at senior.”
If there’s one Rebel he can relate to at the moment it’s Paudie O’Sullivan. O’Neill is recovering from his third cruciate knee injury, after an All-Star 2012, while Paudie — who suffered a cruciate six years ago — is absent after a freakish leg break.
“With Paudie it’s very unfortunate for him. He would have been there or thereabouts in the starting 15, so it’s a tough few weeks now. No doubt he’ll be back better than ever next year.”
As for O’Neill himself? He’s on the road to recovery, but determined not to rush the journey back to his best.
“Things are moving on nicely now and the months are passing by and I’m looking forward to 2014. I’ve no target date, maybe the end of the league. The last few times I was seven or eight months getting back, but now I want to give it all the time it needs.
“I’ll have the hunger back and it won’t be long coming around.”
This season, undermined in part because of the absence of O’Neill, who was stretchered off in the league win over Donegal, was a write off.
“It was very disappointing, losing down in Killarney, and obviously at the start of the year it would have been a target to get further, but they were beaten by a good Dublin team and on the day they couldn’t have any complaints. Whoever beats Dublin will win it I think.”
Whether it’s John Cleary, Brian Cuthbert, Ephie Fitzgerald or a dark horse candidate emerges to replace Conor Counihan after his six-year stint, Colm is hopeful the Rebels will get back in the mix for Sam Maguire.
“Conor has left a good panel behind him and I’ve no doubt there are better days ahead. Five or six new guys came into the panel, which was fantastic and it’s a good squad for whoever is going to come in.”
Being absent through injury and as an employee of AIB, O’Neill knows there is a perception on Leeside that the Cork footballers have underachieved, but accepts the criticism that comes with being a leading contender.
“I’ve worked with AIB for the past 12 months, based in Patrick Street and we’re promoting the opening of the new lobby, which is a great new facilities for all our customers, especially on the weekend. I’ve a lot of interaction with the public, there’s plenty of GAA chat alright, but I enjoy that, even when times aren’t going as well as you’d like.
“It’s a testament to the team over the last few years that we haven’t been knocked out too early. It might leave a few lads with a chip on the shoulder coming back next year.
“When you’re near the sideline you can hear all the comments! You might be better off out in the middle. That’s the joys of being from Cork, there’s a big expectation, but you have to get on with that it would be worse if no one expected anything.”
To clear his head this summer he head to Croatia with his girlfriend at the start of July, and took in the Galway Races as well.
“I watched the Munster final in an Irish bar and there were a few Cork lads there, and plenty of Dublin people because they were playing the hurling after.
“In a way I was better off because I was able to enjoy the rest of the holiday after, whereas if I’d been at the match I’d have been in Killarney afterwards and fairly down about things.
“The only upside of being injured, is that you can get away. I even made the Galway Races, but I hope I won’t have that chance again now for another few years and I’ll be too busy with championship. I met a few of the Kilkenny players, most of the younger guys and they didn’t know what to expect, they certainly weren’t used to it!”
Though football is his priority for Cork, Colm can’t wait to get back hurling for his club, who are through to the county junior B final.
“The hurlers down below are doing fantastically wellnow this season again. They’re in the junior B county final and that’s on in Páirc Uí Rinn, against whoever wins the Skibbereen and Ballinacurra replay, so that will be a fantastic night for everyone in the parish.”
Sunday September 8 could be a great night too, provided Cork beat Clare. O’Neill, of course, will be there.
“If you can give me two tickets I’ll head away up alright… No, I’m going to go on the Saturday, make a weekend of it and hopefully we’ll all be celebrating by the end of it.”
O’Neill’s grá for hurling
“I GOT involved with the senior footballers when I came from injury in 2009. I didn’t have any grand plan to pick football over hurling or anything. I was lucky to get involved when I did and have relatively good success with Cork in football.
“When I was younger Ballyclough was probably more of a hurling club, though that changed a bit with us getting up to intermediate for a few years.
“I went to hurling and football matches when I was younger.
“I suppose the hurlers were the lads winning All-Irelands, so they got more support and were better known. It’s great to see them among the best again in the hurling. Joe Deane and Brian Corcoran were heroes of mine. Corcoran, playing both codes and the way he went about his business, always impressed me.”
The Cork team that lost to Galway in the 2007 All-Ireland semi-final in extra-time featuring Colm O’Neill was as follows:
CORK: K O’Halloran; J O’Callaghan, E Dillon, C O’Driscoll; S O’Neill, E Cadogan, A Ryan; L Desmond, A Mannix; P Cronin, K Canty, C Naughton; P Horgan, E Murphy, C O’Neill.
Subs: J Halbert for Mannix (15), F O’Leary for C O’Neill (40), S White for Desmond (50), S Moylan for O’Leary (55), L Desmond for Halbert (65), B Moylan for Desmond (70), M Walsh for Ryan (75).
Shane O’Neill, Pa Cronin, Cathal Naughton, and subs Stephen Moylan and Stephen White are on the current Cork panel, while Ken O’Halloran, Eoin Cadogan and O’Neill are committed to football.
Eoin Dillon, John O’Callaghan, Leigh Desmond, Adrian Mannix, Kevin Canty, Eoghan Murphy, Fintan O’Leary and Michael Walsh were all previously involved in Cork senior hurling squads as well.0 -
CORK JUNIOR FOOTBALL TEAM
The Cork Junior Football team to play Kildare in the All-Ireland Final on Saturday at 6pm in Limerick will line out as follows:
1. David Hanrahan
Douglas
2. A.J. O Connor 3. Eoin O'Mahony 4. Kevin Harrington
Kiskeam Macroom Bantry Blues
5. Richard O'Sullivan 6. Rory O'Sullivan 7. Sean Kiely
Kinsale Argideen Rangers Macroom
8. Ruairi Deane 9. Michael Ó Laoire
Bantry Blues Naomh Aban
10. Cathal Vaughan 11. Andrew O'Brien 12. Colm O'Driscoll
Iveleary Kildorrery Tadhg Mac Carthaigh
13. Kevin O'Driscoll 14. Fiachra Lynch 15. David Harrington
Tadhg Mac Carthaigh Valley Rovers Adrigole
16. Sean Mellett Carrigaline
17. Niall McCarthy Kinsale
18. Peter Daly St. Mary's
19. John Cronin Lisgoold
20. Kevin Barrett Kilmurry
21. Seamus Hickey Rockchapel
22. Eoghan Buckley St. Michaels
23. Michael Vaughan Millstreet
24. Mark Sugrue Bandon
The team shows one change from that which defeated Lancashire in the semi-final, with David Harrington replacing Michael Vaughan.0 -
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Cork u16's beat Tipp by a goal tonight.
1-17 to 17 afaik
Part of the week long preparation the under age teams are undergoing in the lead up to the upcoming tournaments.0 -
Cork u16's beat Tipp by a goal tonight.
1-17 to 17 afaik
Part of the week long preparation the under age teams are undergoing in the lead up to the upcoming tournaments.[/
Great news...it will all be wasted if kenneally gets what is likely a new term though.One step forward,ten steps back.
Where are these on?0 -
Thinkstoomuch wrote: »
Where are these on?
The under 16 tournaments are in Tipp, think its held there every year as its sponsored by the Tipperary supporters club. Could be wrong though. The A group games being hosted by Cahir, Moyle Rovers, Clonmel with St Mary's hosting the final. The B group games being held in Ballylooby. All on the 31st.
Afaik all other tournaments are held on the same weekend. Not sure about the u14 and 15 but the u17 is usually held in Mallow.0 -
Sound ill go to mallow if its on their.I was actually passing through their tngt,and popped in to c the end of a ladies football game.If id known i would have asked.The under 16 tournaments are in Tipp, think its held there every year as its sponsored by the Tipperary supporters club. Could be wrong though. The A group games being hosted by Cahir, Moyle Rovers, Clonmel with St Mary's hosting the final. The B group games being held in Ballylooby. All on the 31st.
Afaik all other tournaments are held on the same weekend. Not sure about the u14 and 15 but the u17 is usually held in Mallow.
Mallow is a fine complex.0 -
Did anyone see the article on Ephie Fitzgerald in the Echo the other night. He's really promoting himself for the Cork senior job. I didn't know he worked with the Limerick seniors last year under Maurice Horan. I still don't think he's got enough experience but you can't argue with his success with Nemo winning 4 county titles0
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Wondering if someone here could help me .. I remember i was in Croke Park around 5 years ago watching a minor game involving Cork . I remember i was in awe on your centre forward , i've never seen a minor as good in the air . His name was Sheehan . Was it Ciaran Sheehan who is playing with your footballers ?
Sheehan, Walsh, Luke, Egan and Mark Collins all played that day
http://www.examiner.ie/archives/2008/0818/ireland/galway-keep-the-conveyor-belt-rolling-70101.html0 -
Archer3083 wrote: »Did anyone see the article on Ephie Fitzgerald in the Echo the other night. He's really promoting himself for the Cork senior job. I didn't know he worked with the Limerick seniors last year under Maurice Horan. I still don't think he's got enough experience but you can't argue with his success with Nemo winning 4 county titles
He wont get it,the fact he had to be bullish and go to the paper ,tells its own story,he knows himself he wont get it,so went public to try and generate a public and media profile.
Doesnt make a a blind bit of difference ,with the Cork county board,as they have their man already,they play the usal propoganda,say what needs to be said ,but they have him picked.Cleary or cuthbert,but cuthbert is front man.
I actually think fitzgerald is good and done a great job with limerick,in getting them to a quater final,and with nemo but he didnt do great with the cork minors ,a highy rated side beaten in the end by an average tipp team.
However he could argue the minor system was a joke,the way the games are set up in munster.
I would have liked to c him get the u21 role,before senior.The fact they got hes own club man sean hayes over him,witho t any interview tells its own story.
Hayes isnt the worst choice,but again the system they used to pick him was wrong.He didnt even have to give an interview,he was rang and told him the job was availbe if he wanted it.He got it.
The usal rushed through appointments.The club delegates havent got any role at all,their told they have,but truth be told it is still the county board who make the calls.0 -
It's almost as shambolic as the Waterford hurling situation. Why can't the county board put in place a selection committee or alternatively entertain applications from interested coaches/managers. It would be nice to see different guys present their vision/philosophy on the game before they got the job. I can't believe that the Cork senior job was never discussed at the last meeting of the county board0
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Cork Football needs fresh ideas and a different vision.
The potential we have in this county for producing footballers is every bit as good as hurlers yet we fail miserable yer in year out bar few in between.
For a county of our tradition 7 AI's at senior grade is poor we should be nicely into double figures by now.0 -
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Archer3083 wrote: »It's almost as shambolic as the Waterford hurling situation. Why can't the county board put in place a selection committee or alternatively entertain applications from interested coaches/managers. It would be nice to see different guys present their vision/philosophy on the game before they got the job. I can't believe that the Cork senior job was never discussed at the last meeting of the county board
Ah come now in fairness,it wasnt on the agenda as its not a top priority,its no big deal, and shoudnt be,its only cork football manager,what was more important,absoultey vital to the state of cork gaa,that ex couny board disciple mentioned and thanked the Examiner for publishing a photo of our truy great secreatery,Cometh the hour,cometh the man,Frank murphy;-)
Every cork gaa fan id say bought that paper,kept the photo and said wow,our Hero ,Amen:-o
I mean we are truly blessed,to know what is priortised by the board.0
This discussion has been closed.
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