Browne raises relegation fears

He was on the last Cork team to play in Division 2 and Alan Browne has no hesitation admitting relegation to the second tier on Sunday would be “an absolute disaster” for the county.

In 1997, as Jimmy Barry-Murphy rebuilt a side that had been obliterated by Limerick in Páirc Uí Chaoimh the summer previous, Cork finished second to Dublin in a division that included the likes of London and Westmeath.

Sixteen years on and Browne says the thought of losing to Clare and dropping to Division 1B is a shuddering one.

“It would be absolute disaster. I think it would be very bad for Cork hurling.”

Should Cork fail to win in the Gaelic Grounds on Sunday, Browne anticipates there will major calls for the league to be restructured, given Cork’s hurling heritage.

After being in Division 1B last year, he feels there wouldn’t be as big an outcry were Davy Fitzgerald’s side to drop down.

“If Clare went down, maybe the call wouldn’t be as great but for a county like Cork to go down to Division 2? That could be the case. But it was clear at the start of the year what the format of the league was.

“It’s a situation maybe we shouldn’t be in. It wasn’t that they decided at the end of the year that this (bottom two in a relegation play-off) was going to happen.”

Comparisons, whether right or wrong, will be drawn between Murphy’s two terms in charge of Cork as he rebuilds once more but Browne recognises differences not just in the league but in the team as well.

“Everybody goes on about the All-Ireland win in ‘99 and where did they come from but they had been through tough years and then winning the league in ‘98 was a massive boost.

“Had Cork won the league last year, they could be a different proposition this year because it would have given them massive confidence but the beating Kilkenny gave them (in the final) probably didn’t help.

“They didn’t really have a bad campaign this year. It was just unfortunate that they played Kilkenny on the last day.”

Browne likens relegation from Division 1 now to demotion from the Premier League where getting back up could prove extremely hard.

“Everyone loves it when they in Division 1 — the problem is when they’re relegated to Division 2.

“It was a very competitive league and puts more emphasis on teams to win matches. That’s the way I’d like to see teams progressing — pressure being put on them all of the time.

“It’s disaster for the team that goes down but the objective should be not to go down. In the Premiership, it’s a disaster to go down and I know in the club scene we in Blackrock were very close to going down a couple of years ago but for a last minute job against Blarney.

“If we went to intermediate, it would have been tough because that’s one of the hardest championships to win. So you put the effort in to ensure you don’t get relegated.”

At the same time, for either Cork or Clare to win 40% of their games and still go down would be regarded as harsh among most hurlingobservers.

Sixteen years ago, Cork were one of three teams who were promoted to the new 12-team top flight, which was split in two in 1998. Cork had finished third in an eight-team Division 2.

The eight-team structure would tidily accommodate the two teams, including Limerick, that have stood out in Division 1B the past couple of seasons.

But Browne is a fan of the current system. “You can make it an eight-team Division 1 but do you then forget about all the other teams? Dublin and Limerick were the two teams giving out the most because they weren’t in Division 1A. Wexford and Offaly are there too.

“Division 1A has been good because there are teams of around about the same level playing competitive games.”