Seamus Harnedy left sick bed to join Cork in battle for survival
“Definitely, it was great to get the monkey off the back. It would have been great earlier in the league to get a win against Kilkenny, but we got hit with a sucker punch late on that night. It was tough to get back going after that but we knew we’d be either going to Thurles or Salthill (for the relegation game).
“We knew that’d be a tough match - we had the same experience back in 2013, so we knew what was involved. Every team wants to preserve their Division 1A status, and we’re delighted to have maintained that for next year.”
Harnedy was among several Cork players stricken with a virus, but he lined out on Sunday and praised his colleagues’ character.
“We stuck to our guns and kept chipping away at Galway’s lead. I know fellas have been questioning our character, but there’s a great bunch of lads there. We stuck to our guns, thank God, and we just got over the line.
“I had a bout of illness, I was in bed for a few days and off work, I was just delighted to be back out there playing on Sunday. The lungs were burning for the last few minutes of the game, but we’re delighted because Salthill is such a tough place to come. Down the years Cork teams have found it hard to get a win here, so we’re happy out.” The St Ita’s man got Cork’s first goal in Salthill: “The goal came with a big slice of luck, to be honest. I turned onto my right and said I’d have a pop - it took a ricochet and then a very awkward hop past James Skehill.
“That was the small bit of luck that we had on Sunday that we didn’t have in other games in the league. We’re just delighted with the win and it’s back to the drawing board now again.”
Meanwhile former Hurler of the Year Tony Keady believes this crop of Galway players still have the ability to win the Liam MacCarthy Cup this year, despite being relegated on Sunday for the first time in over a quarter of a century. But Keady, an All-Ireland winner in 1987 and ’88 warned that Galway could get stuck in Division 1B for some time if they aren’t careful.
“There are down there now, and it’s like going from senior down to intermediate for a club in Galway. You might be below in it for a long time.
“But being realistic about it, it’s not the end of the world. You could well see Clare and Limerick in this year’s league final and they both played 1B this year. If you were a betting man you’d give Limerick a chance against Waterford, and Kilkenny will get every bit of it against Clare. It’d be a lovely twist in the tale to see the two 1B teams in the final. In an All-Ireland final last year and a few months later you’re down in Division 1B: it’ll be hard to get back in training for the lads, but the sooner they get into the championship and push on into it the better.
“They have to, and they’re not a bad team either. Don’t kid yourself, if they got everyone back and lads going well they could very well win the All-Ireland. Lads like Johnny Coen, Padraig Mannion and Daithi Burke have hardly played yet and they’d be a big addition. It (Relegation) is an awful slap in the face for Michéal Donoghue. But they can forget about that now and a good run in the championship would help.”
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
