Gardiner: Outlook is bleak
The Rebels have not reached an All-Ireland hurling final since losing to Kilkenny in 2006, having won the Liam MacCarthy Cup in the two years prior to that, and exited this year’s championship in phase three of the All-Ireland qualifiers.
With no All-Ireland U21 title since 1998 and without a minor win in 10 years, Gardiner is worried about Cork’s prospects.
“I came in in 2002 and from 2003 until ‘06 we were in four finals in a row,” he said at Newstalk’s Off The Ball Live radio show at his club Na Piarsaigh last night. “I can remember Brian Corcoran saying to me when we were successful that it wasn’t going to be like this every year.
“It is difficult to see where the players are going to come from, who the real marquee names are going to be for Cork over the next couple of years. There are a lot of fellas being introduced and it’s up to them to make a name for themselves and hit the high levels.
“Other counties seem to be producing players, the likes of Kilkenny and Tipperary, it’s just hard to see where ours are going to come from.
“It takes a lot for a team to gel together and it’s a new group of players now, I think we have to regroup now but it’s going to be difficult, the talent that these guys had doesn’t come along too often.”
With Cork having lost to Galway by 12 points, Gardiner feels that the Tribesmen’s subsequent defeat to Waterford in Sunday’s quarter-final leaves the Rebels wondering as to where exactly they stand.
“You’d be asking yourself questions as to where we’re really at,” he said.
“Galway are always capable of pulling out a performance and I think they just pulled out a performance that day against us, especially in the second half, they took over and we struggled to get the ball into our full-forward line.
“Overall it was a very disappointing year again, to be out of the championship this early is very disappointing, and to see Galway turn it around and Waterford to come out with a victory, there are a lot more questions there than answers.”
Gardiner’s comments about the quality of player available to Cork were backed up by his clubmate and former inter-county colleague Seán Óg Ó hAilpín.
“Cork are probably just lacking that calibre of player that’s needed, and it’s no coincidence that when Cork were successful at minor and U21 level in the 90s, there was a follow-on. That well has dried up.
“Yes, they’re competing but they’re not winning and while those players are going through to senior, you can’t beat the taste of success at underage level.”
Having been dropped from the Cork panel by Denis Walsh last October, Ó hAilpín acknowledged that leaving the inter-county scene was not easy.
“Do I miss it? Damn hell yeah, I miss it an awful lot,” he said.
“After being involved for 13 or 14 years, it’s not something that you can turn off like a light switch, you become institutionalised to a certain extent.
“Do I miss the obituaries like those that were written after Cork lost to Galway? I don’t miss that whatsoever, having to be scrutinised, at least I couldn’t be blamed!
“In fairness, when Denis Walsh said, ‘You’re not part of my plans, I’m looking at starting anew’, looking at the players he’s brought in, he has been consistent in his message to me. I don’t agree with him, but going into a one-on-one meeting with him, he is the gaffer, you have to accept that.”
Walsh’s term officially ended after the Galway loss, and while he could be reappointed, should a new manager come in, Ó hAilpín repeated previous comments that he would be willing to return.
“I’d love to get back,” he said, “I feel that my body is in good shape still, I still feel I can offer something. It all depends on the new manager coming in, but if he does happen to give me a ring of whatever, I’ll talk but I just want to leave it at that, I don’t want to make a big hullabaloo over it.”
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