Yesterday’s heroes are tomorrow’s spectators
In 1999, those six young men lined out against Kilkenny in an All-Ireland SHC final. All six played a part, in helping the county end a barren nine-year spell without Liam McCarthy.
Ryan was the tight-marking, tenacious right-corner-back In the final he held Charlie Carter scoreless in the first-half and conceded two points after the interval. Fergal still has his champions in Cork today, who believe that at 31, the Blackrock stalwart is still in his prime, still worth his place, if not on the starting 15, then at least on the panel.
The man himself would love to be there too: "It would be great to be on the field, and at the start of the season I committed myself to giving another year to Cork, if I was needed.
"In a nutshell, I wasn't needed. You'd love to be walking out there on All-Ireland final day. But it wasn't to be."
Off the field however, things have been going better for Fergal.
"I got a promotion lately and I am now the Regional Manager with United Beverages for Cork and Kerry. It means that I am a busy man, but I wouldn't mind being a bit busier!" he adds with a laugh.
John Browne, brother of Alan and another Blackrock-man, was in the other defensive corner, did a superb job in holding goal-scorer Ken O'Shea scoreless.
John would almost certainly still be in the picture this year, but his dental studies took him to Wales.
Like the other five, however, he will be Croke Park.
Centre-back Brian Corcoran was man-of-the-match and ended up also pocketing an Allstar and the Player-of-the-Year at seasons end. But all too soon he was gone, walking away into retirement. He took out his golf-clubs, plays off a very decent handicap and suffers no regrets.
The same could not be said for Cork hurling fans however, though the emergence of Ronan Curran has eased troubled minds.
Team captain Mark Landers was an inspirational figure at midfield. Strong and robust, he was replaced in that game with 20 minutes to go. He was to be replaced permanently within a few years, and a lot of people are still wondering why. Still only 30, the captain wasn't showy, but he was steady, solid, consistent and never backed off a challenge.
Neil Ronan was, and remains, the enigma of the side and of all the six, outside of Cork, his absence is the one most remarked on.
Even inside Cork, a lot of fans would consider him among the premier club players in the county. 19 then, Ronan didn't finish a single championship game for Cork that year. His confidence was affected. Little was done to restore it over the next three years, during which time he was still the one most likely not to finish any game he started. Though he was involved earlier in the year, ultimately he didn't make the cut.
Fergal McCormack was a 'makeshift' centre-forward for Cork that year. But despite the lack of experience, he went on to produce the goods and led the line well all year. He was never really given a chance at centre-back his best position even after the retirement of Corcoran. He would possibly still be involved were it not for injury.
"I'll be 29 at end of year, but I feel like I've been playing a long time. Hurling and football takes its toll , eventually. I've had a foot operation and I broke my hand earlier this year. That's taxing on the mind as much as the body, it's demoralising, draining both physically and mentally".
Fergal is now playing golf and tennis for the rest of the year, but will be in Croke Park on Sunday, albeit not in the spot allotted to him by the Cork County Board.
"I got tickets, paid for, of course, and that's no problem. But they're not the greatest tickets in the world in the upper tier of the Cusack, at the back. The nose-bleed section.
"Talking to some of the boys, John Browne and a few others got the same. I'll try and change them and maybe go to the Hill instead".
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