Pat Ryan: 'We were favourites for the All-Ireland final last year with the bookies and we didn't win'

About 60,000 Cork souls populated Croke Park on Saturday where they were treated to a spectacular display by the Munster champions.

But the maths for the All-Ireland final on Sunday week are stark. 60,000 into 16,000, the allocation Cork will be expected to receive won’t go, and that’s before players, management, officers, sponsors and other corporate affiliations are considered.

Following this seven-goal salute, everyone with a Cork affiliation will want to be back in Croke Park on July 20 as a wait that has extended to 20 years appears close to an end.

If this is the closest many Cork folk get to their heroes this year, boy did they get a show. And boy did they show up. Not since the Heineken Cup semi-final in Lansdowne Road 2006 has the home support in Dublin been so dominated by the following in red.

Their team returned the favour. As Brian Hayes spread his arms to celebrate his second goal, Cork’s fourth, in the 32nd minute it felt like a torch was being passed. Hayes conjuring John Fitzgibbon conjuring Christy Ring. All that was missing was the little jump kick.

On Saturday, he brought his tally for the championship to 5-8 and also laid off a pass for one of Alan Connolly’s three goals.

Seventeen goals in six championship games (35 for the season) is rivalling the 18 their 1990 predecessors produced in five matches on their way to the first part of that year’s double. A summer when Fitzgibbon accounted for six of them, Kevin Hennessy five, Mark Foley three and the late Ger Fitzgerald two.

The swashbuckling ways of Pat Ryan’s men is enthralling but he has reason to be wary of the fanfare and the perception the final is a coronation. After a similarly valorous display against Tipperary in the league final came a reminder in Ennis two weeks later that they weren’t all-conquering.

“If we're winning matches and we're playing well and performing well, you're going to be favourites,” he said on Saturday. “But, as we know ourselves, it doesn't make a difference what the bookies are going to do. You have to turn up and perform. We were favourites probably for the All-Ireland final last year with the bookies and we didn't win.” 

Longing can often be misplaced as confidence but this Cork team inspire faith. They overran Dublin with three goals inside the first 12 minutes and led by 10 at the break, 4-13 to 1-12.

Once more, Tim O’Mahony proved Croke Park and its wide pasture is much to his liking. He was everywhere and along with fit-again Declan Dalton was vital in throwing Dublin out of shape.

Saturday was justification for a couple of their team-mates too. Connolly hasn’t been his usual rapier self in this championship but he had been sick earlier in the year and it had been debilitating.

With this latest hat-trick, he reminded everyone why he is Cork’s best finisher. “Alan was carrying probably a couple of injuries at the start of the year, momentum has kind of made a difference to him,” explained Ryan. “He had a bit of a heel issue, he had a bit of an Achilles issue and he was kind of playing through them a small bit.

“But we could see a different Alan over the last while, he was hungry – in the Munster final, his work-rate was top-class, his tackling from behind, his hunger. Today, he probably didn't work as hard from tackling from behind, because he was winning more ball, and that's where I'd be kind of critical a small bit of time! But look, he was really sharp in training over the last three to four weeks and we expected a huge performance off him today.” 

Seán O’Donoghue was in warrior mode, backing up the form he had demonstrated in the Munster championship. He was part of the moves for Cork’s fourth and final goals and was integral to the shutdown effort on Dublin.

It was a show of force in contrast to some of his 2024 performances, which suggested he may lose his starting place this season. It has been theorised that he has looked a different player since the captaincy was transferred to Rob Downey but his manager cited other factors that may have mitigated against him last year.

“I think sometimes fellas get a name into their head and they try and give them flak and then everybody jumps up on top of it,” said Ryan. “I think it's happened down in Cork with different players through the years but we've no question about Seán. We see it every night in every training. He's probably our best trainer, diligent, everything.

“He did a lot going on last year with captaincy, having a new baby, building a house. All those things can take a bit of distraction away from yourself, but he's been brilliant for us, a great leader within the group. I'm delighted with Seán's performances, but he needs to play a bit better now again the next time.” 

Ryan added: “I think the key thing to Seán this year is that he had a clear run of injury. He had a clear run of injury, in good shape, played lots of matches – that's the key for any player.” 

Save for Seamus Harnedy’s hamstring, it’s all going swimmingly for Cork but one more strait must be navigated. The one that has bewitched them the lifetimes of some senior inter-county hurlers.

Scorers for Cork: A. Connolly (3-2); P. Horgan (0-8, 6 frees); B. Hayes, T. O’Mahony (2-1 each); D. Dalton (0-5, 2 frees); D. Fitzgibbon (0-3); S. Kingston (0-2); D. Healy, C. Joyce, C. Lehane, J. O’Connor (0-1 each).

Scorers for Dublin: C. O’Sullivan (2-5); S. Currie (0-7, frees); F. Whitely, C. Burke (0-3 each); B. Hayes, J. Hetherton, D. Burke (0-1 each).

CORK: P. Collins: N. O’Leary, E. Downey, S. O’Donoghue; C. Joyce, R. Downey (c), M. Coleman; T. O’Mahony; D. Dalton, S. Barrett, D. Healy; P. Horgan, B. Hayes, A. Connolly.

Subs: R. O’Flynn for D. Healy (50); S. Kingston for P. Horgan (55); T. O’Connell for R. Downey (59); C. Lehane for S. Barrett (63); J. O’Connor for D. Dalton (67);

DUBLIN: S. Brennan; J. Bellew, P. Smyth, A. Dunphy; P. Doyle, C. McHugh, C. Donohoe; C. Burke, B. Hayes; R. McBride, F. Whitely, R. Hayes; C. O’Sullivan, J. Hetherton, S. Currie.

Subs: D. Lucey for A. Dunphy (15); D. Power for C. McHugh (21); D. Burke for R. McBride (h-t); D. Ó Dúlaing for R. Hayes (46); C. Ó Riain for C. O’Sullivan (67).

Referee: J. Murphy (Limerick).