Momentum crucial in push towards final, claims Walsh
Speaking ahead of the clash with Galway, Walsh said rotation of players had been a goal for Cork, and then the league decider had come into view.
“From everyone’s point of view really, most hurling people are interested to see how Cork are moving. We may have been under a bit of pressure to get going.
“But going back to last year we got a fair bit of momentum in the first few weeks. The Tipperary game, we were very unlucky to lose that. We haven’t changed much around but we did target every game. We did target rotating the team a little bit. We sent out a balanced team every time we went out.
“Momentum was everything with the way the league is formulated. Like, Declan Kidney said last year when they won the Grand Slam, winning the first game meant you were still in the game, that was my attitude this year really. Once we won the first two games then the league final became a possibility because lads began to motor.”
Walsh says the GAA was in a no-win situation with putting the final on at 7pm on Sunday.
“I think I can understand where they were coming from. They looked at the programme that was there for the Sunday and said we probably better not clash with the rugby match, so you can’t win can you?
“From our point of view there was no problem once we had sufficient notice to be at a certain place at a certain time my responsibility was to make sure the players were geared towards that.
“To be fair to Galway I don’t think they made a big song and dance. It was on and that was it.”
Walsh wasn’t ruling out the possibility that Aisake O hAilpín and Michael Cussen might figure on the team together.
“Certainly it is a possibility alright. We have a league final on Sunday and Tipp in the first round of the championship in four weeks time so I think the opposition will dictate that to some degree.
“Too many big men slow down the play too much and we don’t want to do that either. It is a balance. Everyone is talking about the two 6 foot 7 guys but some full-back lines might see that as a bonus, that these guys might not be able to outpace them or open up the space.
“Ultimately some days it will happen for us and others it won’t.”
With All-Ireland senior medals in both codes, the hurling boss was sympathetic to Eoin Cadogan, the current dual star who misses Sunday’s game through injury.
“By being a dual player he is not doing twice as much as the other players, he is doing the same work and it is our – Conor (Counihan) and myself – responsibility to make sure he gets nights off and what have you.
“I was a dual player myself. If I can’t appreciate the situation no one can. It is all down to the manager of the team at the end of the day. If Conor isn’t happy with it then there could be a problem with it.
“Conor and myself go back an awful long way. We mightn’t be on the same wavelength but we understand where we are coming from.”
While not commenting on the approach of previous managers, Walsh outlined his thoughts on tactics.
“Tactically I wouldn’t be trying to impose my agenda on the players. I would look at what we have and work around that – work backwards from there really.
“I have looked at the material we have for the inside line and it would be remiss of me not to utilise that. I think we have guys who can do damage inside and we work on that as much as we can. We need to get good ball into them and that’s the test.
“Traditionally over the past few years with the type of player Cork had, and so much pace out the field, they were able to take scores 50 or 60 yards out the field. Those players are still there of course, we haven’t forgotten that.”
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