Cusack: Cats are All Blacks of hurling

Dónal Óg Cusack believes Kilkenny are transforming themselves into the All Blacks of hurling.

In his autobiography, the three-time All-Ireland-winning goalkeeper described them as the “Stepford Wives” of the game. However, ahead of the Cats’ Leinster final against Galway on Sunday, he has compared them to the great New Zealand rugby team in terms of their dominance of the game.

“I came up and we played Kilkenny in a couple of All-Ireland finals and I think we won two and lost two and we would have had a strong belief in ourselves,” he said in Croke Park yesterday.

“The younger guys have come up at a time when Kilkenny have been dominating. It’s a factor and it’s not only a factor for us in Cork but for all the other teams who are trying to chase them.

“You could make the analogy, in a way, they are almost turning into the All Blacks of the game.”

Cusack, who is sidelined for the summer having ruptured his achilles tendon, is well on the road to recovery having undergone his first aerobic session on Wednesday night.

He has since become part of manager Jimmy Barry-Murphy’s backroom team.

However, he admits he feels nauseous when he thinks about his long-time deputy Martin Coleman, who conceded three goals in the Division 1 final to Kilkenny, being left out of the panel for the Munster semi-final against Tipperary and again for tomorrow’s qualifier with Offaly.

“The most professional guy I met [in the game] is Seán Óg Ó hAilpín and I’d put [Coleman] in that bracket.

“What happened to him, I get a sick feeling in my stomach thinking about it. He’s a goalkeeper. He knows that’s the joy of the position.

“Mistakes are magnified in goals but not so much out the field. It’s tough, we are playing in the top league but he knows no one is going to pull him through this situation but himself.”

Cusack is confident Cork will give a good account of themselves tomorrow in Páirc Uí Chaoimh, even though he expects it to be a closely-fought contest.

“The big thing for Cork is that obviously we suffered a setback in the league final. The important thing for me from the Tipperary game was Cork came out in such a positive frame of mind.

“I think it is great credit to the players themselves and the management and the backroom.

“Having said that the reality is we were beaten at home by a point.

“The key thing for us now is one competition is over and we are going into the All-Ireland series.

“Offaly? A lot of people would see it as the best draw that Cork could have gotten but if you put yourself in an Offaly person’s position coming down to Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Saturday night they know the type of game Cork play, Cork are about playing hurling, Páirc Uí Chaoimh is a big open space, Offaly are a hurling county as well. I’d imagine they’d relish the idea of coming to Páirc Uí Chaoimh.”