Cork hurlers above ‘average’

Now that the greatest series, in living memory, of the All- Ireland hurling championship has just concluded, it would be reasonable to expect that the main protagonists would come in for unqualified praise. Not so, however.

In the past week “experts” have been questioning the quality of the Cork team and how lucky they would have been if they had captured the McCarthy Cup. I think these comments have been grossly unfair on a gallant Cork team that more than played its part in an extraordinary hurling season involving all the top hurling counties.

In his recent article (Irish Examiner, Oct 5) Enda McEvoy twice used the term “average” when referring to the Cork team.

This team, under the expert leadership of the iconic Jimmy Barry Murphy, has not yet reached the level of the superb Cork team of the 2003-2006 era, but to describe them as average is an absolute insult.

I would suggest to McEvoy that he takes a look at a re-run of the games against Kilkenny and Dublin to see the skill and application the Cork players displayed in forging monumental victories and could certainly not be described as “average”.

He might also note that in three championship games against Clare this year Cork have scored 6 goals and 55 points. with the Banner county recording 5 goals and 56 points, a two point margin in favour of Cork.

If Clare are the great team they are now being acclaimed and Cork are only average, how did this tally come about?

Cork also scored 3-16 in each final, which is a higher total than that recorded by the winning teams of 1999, 2004 and 2005, which again belies the negative criticism being made about the “rebels”.

McEvoy also claims that the defining moment was the sending off of Ryan Dwyer in the Cork-Dublin semi-final. I would beg to differ and would nominate two different critical moments.

The first was when Barry Kelly sounded the final whistle in that August Sunday in Thurles and the unheralded Cork had dumped the “invincible” Kilkenny out of the title race.

The second was in the first All-Ireland final when Brian Gavin, without any justification, played an extra 38 seconds at the end of the game and denied Cork the All-Ireland title.

There is no doubt that the skill and speed of the Clare team was exceptional, but the greatest game of hurling I have seen in 50 years took place this year, but did not involve Clare.

It was, of course, the All-Ireland semi-final between Cork and Dublin.

Matt Aherne

Passage West

Co Cork