McLoughlin: Rebels ‘fine tuning’ for dangerous Déise test

Lorcan McLoughlin insists Cork have "made progress" having reached two finals last year, but stresses that they will need to hit the ground running on Sunday against Waterford.

The Munster SHC quarter-final in Thurles pits last year’s All-Irelandfinalists Cork against the Déise, and Kanturk man McLoughlin expects this season to be even more competitive than 2013.

“It’s a new year, everyone’s starting with a clean slate. We’d have seen last year as progress, reaching a Munster and All-Ireland final, it was certainly progress compared to the previous year even if we finished the season with no silverware. But if you look at other counties, the likes of Kilkenny and Galway probably wouldn’t have been too happy with how their season went, they’ll be looking to up their performances this year. I’d say this season will be even more competitive than last year.”

Cork’s fitness was a huge asset last season, and McLoughlin says they’ve tweaked their approach slightly for this campaign.

“We finished a bit later last year because of the All-Ireland final, so we’ve started back training a bit later this year, but by and large it’s the same template as last year, though having a quarter-final means you’ve to get up to match fitness that bit earlier in the season. Dave Matthews (trainer) tailored the training to get us right for the weekend, but that’s the only change. It’s more a question of fine tuning for the next few days.”

The midfielder acknowledges that in the absence of the players who powered Cork to four consecutive All-Irelands in the middle of the last decade, current players must take up the leadership mantle.

“The panel has changed in the last few years, as lads who played in four or five All-Ireland finals are gone, so from that perspective, last year was huge. We need to show more leadership this year and take it on.

“We had a good run into the All-Ireland last year, the Kilkenny and Dublin games were a very good preparation, and Clare were in the same situation as ourselves in that they were very inexperienced as well.

“Maybe that showed in the games being close in scores and very open in play, high-scoring matches, because if either team reached this year’s final it mightn’t be as open. From our perspective we’ve been putting up high scores in the league, but it’s been highlighted that we’ve conceded high scores. That’s something we’ve got to work on.”

Waterford may be underdogs with most observers this weekend, but Cork won’t take their opponents for granted.

“Both teams are in a similar situation in that we’ve both lost a lot of experienced players in the last few years, highly influential players, and they have a lot of very good players coming through.

“Waterford have last year’s minor All-Ireland title so they’ll be confident, but it’s 50-50. I know that’s a cliche, but in the championship if you don’t hit the ground running, you’re in trouble and facing the qualifiers.

“I don’t think either team will be looking beyond this: I know Clare are waiting in the long grass for the winner, but it’s all about Sunday, and we’ll be doing our best to get the championship off to a winning start.”

Tickets for Sunday’s Munster SHC quarter-final will be on sale at Páirc Uí Rinn this afternoon (1pm-3.30pm). Adults Covered Stand: €25; Adults Uncovered Stand: €20; Juveniles (U16s) for both stands & terrace: €5; Adults Killinan End Terrace: €15.

Tickets are also available online at http://gaa.tickets.ie/ and at Centra and SuperValu stores.