John Fogarty: Cork shouldn't need people's pity

Never has a team that failed to qualify from Munster been spoken about so highly. Despite Ryan’s plea for no false platitudes, pity has landed on them in torrents

PLATITUDES: Pat Ryan casts an eye over his charges before Sunday’s game. Despite their exit Cork have been spoken about highly. Pic: INPHO/Ryan Byrne

In the brief history of the provincial round-robin structure, Cork’s exit on Sunday was close to being the harshest but like their efforts this year not close enough.

Dumped out on score difference having finished on five points with Kilkenny, Wexford and Dublin in 2019, Galway retain that top prize. And still the sympathy for them wasn’t enough to convince Micheál Donoghue to stay in charge. That same year, having finished on four points like Cork and Limerick, Clare’s summer was over by virtue of their inferior score difference. There was some sadness at the misfortune but the county board executive hesitated about giving the management a seal of approval, Gerry O’Connor made way that September and Donal Moloney’s attempt to retain the reins failed.