Late bloomer Matty Taylor taking his chance with Cork

Sat, 06 Apr, 2024 - 07:05

Eoghan Cormican

Joe Kernan took our call last week to tease through Armagh’s Division 2 silverware prospects.

Whilst raking back over the county’s Round 7 stalemate on Leeside a few days earlier, the All-Ireland winning Armagh boss picked out one Cork player that he felt exposed chinks in the Orchard armour.

“Their No.7,” said Kernan, “broke through a couple of times and was able to ride the tackles. There were gaps and he went through them”.

Their No.7 is of course Matty Taylor.

Clare, the same as Kernan, picked out Taylor ahead of their Munster quarter-final with Cork this weekend last year. They had to. He had spent the entire 2023 League breaking lines and riding tackles. Cork netted 14 goals last spring. Taylor chipped in with two of them from left half-back.

He played every minute of Cork’s six-game championship campaign in 2023. He played every minute of this year’s League. He is ever-present and ever reliable. Has been since 2019.

Over the past five years, Cork have played 20 championship matches. Taylor has started all 20. He failed to finish just two.

Only midfield totem Ian Maguire can rival him for match minutes during the period in question. And if you’re in the same Cork football bracket as Maguire for consistency, then you’re not doing half bad.

The Mallow clubman turned 30 last November. He made his league and championship debuts in 2018. From that, you can quickly do the math. A 24-year-old debutant and late developer.

Not alone that but his six minutes at the end of the county’s Round 2 League win over Down that 2018 spring was his first competitive appearance in a red shirt - at any level.

From standing unnoticed outside the tent all through his underage years and first half of his 20s to now being one of the first two or three names on the Cork team sheet.

“I always had aspirations to play with Cork. Never shied away from the fact that... I don't blame anyone else for not giving me an opportunity when I was at minor or U21s, I just wasn't good enough. A late bloomer in that respect,” Taylor says of his late arrival on the inter-county stage.

In 2016, he was ever-present on the Avondhu divisional side that reached the last four of the Cork SFC. Peadar Healy picked him out and issued an invitation.

He served his Cork apprenticeship from the sideline in 2017. That autumn he captained Mallow to Premier Intermediate glory. Ronan McCarthy had by then been installed as Healy's successor. He picked him for involvement in 2018.

“In the years before that, I never really said, ‘oh my day is up or whatever’. I just kept at it, to be honest. I knew myself at the time that I wasn't good enough to play inter-county,” Taylor continues.

“I didn't focus wholeheartedly on one sport at the time. I was playing a bit of rugby, hurling. Dabbling.

“I had a good run of form with club and division in 2016. That gave me a bit of a platform to be recognised. I got my opportunity and took it when it came.”

Twelve months ago, Cork suffered for Clare’s success in shadowing Taylor and Seán Powter - Cork’s two form League players - onto the margins.

Ahead of the county’s latest Munster quarter-final, this time at home to Limerick, the half-back wants the team to continue down the road that saw them finish out Division 2 with a four-game unbeaten run.

“You are always striving for consistency. If we can continue our spell of momentum, continue our run of form, and get confidence within the group, you hope that will transfer over to the Munster championship and you will continue on in that vein.”

Their current vein represents a marked departure from the three defeats they opened their League with. Taylor says there was no notable change to bring about the notable change in results.

They kept focus in house, as opposed to listening to the Tailteann Cup conversations going on outside it, kept together, and kept working.

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“We were under pressure. We were under no illusions about that. We were our own worst critics. As a group, I think we have shown great resilience. Three defeats, we were under pressure to get a win, so I do think we showed good strength and character.”

Taylor and teammates would gladly take a summer of results and resilience.