CORK HURLING BOSS Jimmy Barry-Murphy says his young side will have to be quick out of the blocks against Dublin on Sunday.
The Rebels line out in a novel All-Ireland last-four tie in what will ‘practically be a home game’ for Anthony Daly’s side at Croke Park.
“[A good start was] important in Thurles against Kilkenny, a very important factor,” agrees Barry-Murphy. “We didn’t start well in the Munster final and we were kind of playing catch-up.
“Dublin are practically playing at home, we must come out of the blocks straight away and try and match them early on especially,” says the St Finbarr’s clubman.
“Overall, I would be confident. The players are developing and we have got to re-produce the performance now that we gave against Kilkenny and against Clare and be better even. The bar is being raised all the time but the players are responding great but we have had to come back down from the Kilkenny match because we still have won nothing.
“We got relegated in the league, lost a Munster final so we cannot afford to get ahead of ourselves. We cannot be going around patting ourselves on the back as a management either because, as I said, we have nothing won yet. Dublin have.’’
While Cork and Dublin prepare for the second tie in the dual-code, two-county series, Barry-Murphy admits the semi-final pairings in the hurling championship underline that this has been the most open summer since the 90s. Nobody could have named the four semi-finalists at the start of the year and if they did they’d be very wealthy people now,” says the All-Ireland winning manager.
“Obviously, after the Munster final defeat, we are delighted to be back in an All-Ireland semi-final. I suppose having to play Kilkenny was our penalty for losing the Munster final to Limerick, but fair play to the players, they responded great and I thought how they handled the test from Kilkenny was wonderful really.
“We were very disappointed with the Munster final. There was a title at stake and we put a lot into trying to win it and as I said the penalty was then playing Kilkenny.
“We had to re-group fairly quickly and the players, to be fair, produced the goods on the day and it was a great victory. But it’s Dublin now and I have been saying all along, they are an excellent team, I am not just saying that and they have proved it.
“They beat Kilkenny in a replay, something I thought they wouldn’t do. Then they beat Galway which I thought was an amazing performance, they destroyed them really and they are coming in here as the form team, but we are going up ourselves full of confidence after beating Kilkenny.’’
He adds: “It has been an unusual year. You saw all our league games and we were unlucky to be relegated because we played well in it to be fair. We deliberately tried to taper our training and coaching this year to peak during the summer and you can be lucky with that or not.
“Our performance against Clare was very good and then the Munster final was disappointing. The win over Kilkenny was a great boost for the county and going forward I think the players must take a lot from the fact that they beat one of the greatest teams of all time.
“In saying that, our second-half against them was not as good as we would have liked. They were down to 14 men and we really didn’t put them away but they are a hard team to put away.’’
Dublin Buses aren’t the only ones coming to a halt this week! On Sunday the Big Blue Bus will come to a firm halt in Croke Park! Prepare for a lesson jacks!
Hopefully their will be more rebels this week than last week to see cork get beaten again by the Dubs
Ya handy out when you just have to get the luas to the game rather than a 4 hr drive! Dubs are the one county who should really keep shut about fans traveling to games boyo!
After all your county men were nearly having coronaries about the bus not running for one work day! Irony at its best!
There was a better chance of finding Lord Lucan at Croker last Saturday evening than fans clad in red but thats really a true indication of were the rebels true loyalty lies and thats Hurling which is fair enough. Looking forward to Sundays clash, us Dubs have nothing to lose but loads to gain whereas you Cork fellas will look upon defeat with acute embarassment should it befall you. Don’t forget to bring your hang-sangers and miwadi Diarmaid plus the requisite sunscreen for your neck. Bring it on boyo :-)
I would hope there would have been Niallo, seeing as though Croker is in Dublin and all! Not at all, sher if ye beat us we still have 30 hurling AI, how many have ye again? I’ll bring the lunch box as long as you bring your token skanger with his bodhran and spaced out eyes on him to the hill! Deal?
Loving the banter Dermo but its a sad fact that drug addicts inhabit every village in Ireland not just our capital city. Its a little disingenuous to use the scourge of drug addiction as a bush to beat Dublin people with as I’m quite aware that right now at this very moment there are Corkonians walking around your quaint city with tombstones in their eyes. Sad but true.
Agreed Niall, i’m all for a bit of banter in the lead up to a game but Diarmaid it’s not always funny and it’s getting a little bit boring (and repetitive).
I’m sure (know) Diarmaid will tell me to get a sense of humour but there’s only so much of that crap i’m willing to listen to. I’ve not once made any derogatory comment about Cork fans and don’t intend starting regardless of what is being said about me and my fellow county men/women.
Hope everyone enjoys the game & may the best team win. Regardless of the outcome i’m immensely proud of our hurlers, they’ve given us one hell of a year.
Never a problem for donegal / mayo fans etc they probably have more pride in their county ! Cork fans didnt travel because they couldn’t stomach losing to the Dubs
Have you any idea of the politics and landscape of Cork GAA? I am sick of explaining it to people on here, so I won’t do it again with some smartarse from Dublin! Needless to say you’re just another Jack talking out your arse! :-) You just wait for the sea of red on Sunday, I promise you, you will see it!
Politics ! Maybe the whole county of cork will go on strike to protest at how unfair it will be when the Dubs send you packing again !!!!
Ahhhhhh, it was politics that got you a Munster manager that has ye in a semi final?! You really are showing yourself up to be a clueless “fan” who just turns up for the odd bit of thuggery on the hill fella!
Same politics that raped kildare in the 80s ???
You seem like a man prone to hyperbole and exaggerations? Would I be correct? One player that decided to settle in our county and still resides and owns a business there! Whats that saying……. people in glass houses??? Half your hurlers are imports! As well as your manager!
Didn’t his fellow Kildare native Shay Fahy play alongside Tomkins for Cork as well…….
Tut tut Diarmuid I seemed to have touched a nerve ! Ill be aware of your sensitivity from now on !
You have Lorcan, deeply agitated about you mentioning a player that joined Cork nearly 30 years ago from another county! Of course if you knew your GAA you could have mentioned our current half back that joined from Antrim this year, that would have been a better take down kid! Have you got your “gear” sorted for the Hill on Sunday sham?
In a debate/banter the one who resorts to insults has already lost or is out of his/her depth intellectually
Same politics that raped kildare in the 80s Diarmuid ?
Your points are getting lost in your insults ! Stay focused Diarmuid !
Lorcan never argue with an idiot! He’ll drag you down to his level and then beat you with experience! Hon the Dubs!
Lorcan never argue with an idiot! He’ll drag you down to his level and then beat you with experience! Hon the Dubs!!
What insults Lorcan? What about asking you have you your flags ready for Sunday is an insult!? Oh I see what you think I meant there, oh arent we the insecure Dub now aren’t we?