Dubs will be ready for us, says O’Neill

Cork defender Shane O’Neill is not buying the theory that Dublin hurlers will be disadvantaged in not having played a competitive game since their memorable Leinster final victory over Galway on July 7.

Experienced defender O’Neill is one of the few players in the current squad who has opposed them at championship level — his losing Munster debut in 2007 against Waterford being followed by the qualifier meeting in Parnell Park.

“You hear both sides of the story, but to be honest it’s down to the day and if I was looking at a five-week block of training, they will have got a serious amount of work done,” he says. “I know games help, especially competitive ones. They often say they are worth a few training sessions and you can see the logic behind that too,” argues O’Neill

“To be honest, the front door is always the best way to go and if you asked me at the start of the year what I would have wanted, I would have said, beat Clare in the first round and win a Munster championship. Unfortunately it didn’t pan out that way, but we have got ourselves back to the same footing we would have been at if we [had] won the Munster final.’’

O’Neill, Cork-born with Kerry parents, was speaking at the Cork International Airport Hotel yesterday, where his outstanding displays against Limerick and Kilkenny earned him the Southside and District award, in association with Gerald McCarthy Fits & Awards and Cork’s RedFM.

Praised by Bishopstown chairman Denis Crowley for his ‘acknowledged leadership qualities’ — having captained the county at minor, U21 and senior (2011) level — he was a member of the panel for the 2005 All-Ireland victory over Galway.

However, he had to wait until the provincial semi-final two years later to make his first championship start.

That was after the vacancy in the full-back line created by the suspension of Diarmuid O’Sullivan — along with Donal Óg Cusack and Sean Óg Ó hAilpín — after the investigation into the pre-match incidents against Clare in what came to be known as ‘Semplegate’.

“I had been training a few years with the team and when you are on the subs’ bench you learn a lot,” he recalled. “After I got my chance, I just held on to it after that. I was very grateful for the chance initially.”

All the more reason, then for him to easily recall the game against Dublin and again in the qualifiers 12 months later in Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

“Dublin have been extremely competitive in both league and championship and our games against them over the last four or five years have always been very close. I can remember the time we played them in 2008 at Páirc Uí Chaoimh in the qualifiers. It was very close and we only pulled way in the last six or seven minutes.

“The one thing that strikes me since Anthony Daly has taken charge is how physical they are. They are able to take the big hits but they are able to give as well. And they are well able to play.”

In terms of explaining Cork’s significant turnaround in form from the Munster final, he agrees that for them playing the second half against Limerick a man down was equivalent to the All-Ireland champions losing Henry Shefflin.

“That was a huge thing and in the summer heat that makes a big difference. Something that stood out in my mind was that we seriously upped our tackle count.

“It was high against Clare but seemed to dip against Limerick. Kilkenny were going for their 17th consecutive All-Ireland semi-final and when you see how good they have been for that period and how consistent they have been, it was always going to have to come to an end at some stage.

“At the same time, they are definitely not down and out, You can be sure that if we played them the next morning they would have been pretty hungry to beat us. We got the breaks that day; we were pretty lucky not to concede a few goals.

“Having Patrick Horgan available was a big break, too. He has dug us out of plenty of holes in the last few years.’’

Relative to the experience Dublin have gained in the last few seasons, O’Neill is satisfied that Cork are not far behind, with the bulk of the team having lined out against Galway in the 2012 semi-final and been through some testing games in the league.

And, with the iconic Jimmy Barry-Murphy at the helm, there was never any risk of them getting carried away by their Thurles victory

“The first few sessions after a big win like that can tend to be a bit hyper and everybody in a good mood. But, Jimmy and the backroom team were focused immediately on the next game. They brought us back down to earth pretty quickly.”