No jubilation just satisfaction at a job well done

THERE was no jubilation in the Cork dressing room at the conclusion of yesterday’s one-sided game. Rather, there was simple satisfaction at a job well done.

Superb centre-back Ronan Curran said he and his colleagues were expecting a really tough game, but it never materialised.

“Our game plan was to take it to Antrim from the off, get a couple of early scores on the board and rattle their confidence. It worked a treat for us.

“After last year’s disappointing defeat in the final we are very determined to get back there again, but we could not afford to look beyond Antrim.

“No team can take anything for granted at this level. There had been some criticism levelled at us earlier in the week by the Antrim manager but we closed our ears to that. It was important our attitude going into the game was right, that we were properly focused on the job in hand and all credit to everybody for having us right on the day.

“It’s never easy playing a crucial championship match in front of a small crowd in a huge stadium, and I felt the match suffered. Antrim are a better team than they showed out there today. It was obvious from early on that there was a big gap in standards.”

Curran readily agreed that Cork will need to improve some more for the semi-final against Wexford, and expects them to. “Today was all about getting a result and we did.”

Team captain Ben O’Connor, who was forced off in the second half with a leg injury, said he was pleased that Cork had the game wrapped up long before the final whistle.

“Games that you are expected to win comfortably can be very difficult. Our plan was to score early and often and it become something of a stroll in the second half. I expected Antrim to put up stiffer resistance. The pace of the game was fine but their hurling was a huge let-down for them. We would have preferred a harder match, but that wasn’t our fault.

“Obviously the pace of the game dropped as we began to score freely, and we certainly didn’t play as well in the second half as we did in the first. Again it was no fault of ours.

“Looking ahead to the semi-final I feel the team is developing well and the more we play together the better the teamwork will become. It’s great to be back in the serious stages of the championship now, but Wexford will provide us with a far stiffer test. But as long as we get our game right I would fear no team.”

In a sombre Antrim dressing room, Ciaran Herron was the only player prepared to say a few words. Herron had been selected but picked up an eye injury midweek and was unable to take his position at midfield.

“I’m lost for words as to what happened our team. The lads are shattered, not so much at the size of the defeat but the manner of it.

“We came down with high hopes of beating Cork, but we never played which was most disappointing. When you put in as much preparation as we had and fail to even play to our potential, it’s heartbreaking.”