Justin McCarthy wants plan to 'stop the rot' and end Cork hurling famine by 2024

Cork’s Shane O’Regan, left, and Daire Connery celebrate after victory over Tipperary in last December’s Munster U20HC final at Páirc Uí Chaoimh. Picture: Matt Browne/Sportsfile

Justin McCarthy has called for a three-year plan for Cork hurling which will deliver All-Ireland senior glory by 2024.

The former Cork coach and midfielder fears Cork hurling is losing its identity and said there is no clear consensus among those overseeing the various county teams and development squads as to what type of game Cork should be playing.

Should Cork fail this year to bridge the gap to the county’s most recent Liam MacCarthy triumph back in 2005, it will mark the county’s longest ever spell without an All-Ireland SHC title, surpassing the 16-year barren spell between 1903 and 1919.

McCarthy wants a three-year plan for Cork hurling so as “to stop the rot” and close the gap on the counties who have stolen a march on Cork.

“If you go for a five-year plan, you’ll only be drifting along. Have a three-year plan to win the All-Ireland by 2024. This should have been done already,” remarked the 1966 All-Ireland winner.

“If it is not tackled now, it will drift along for another few years, other counties will have the upper hand, and success will be delayed. Who is going to stop the rot, see the problems, and get the show on the road?

Put everything on the table that needs to be addressed. There has to be total honesty for the common cause. No oneupmanship. Get the proper people involved to make it happen. Develop Cork hurling to a new level. Total focus on the end result: an All-Ireland by 2024.”

When asked to explain his “stop the rot” remark, McCarthy replied: “Well, why aren’t they winning? Why aren’t they going forward more? Are Cork after losing their identity a bit? People will say to me, ‘we are not far off, we were close there the last day’. There has to be total honesty about the whole thing. It will be 16 years this year since Cork won an All-Ireland.”

The former Waterford and Limerick manager believes there is an urgent need for a coordinated approach between all Cork management teams as to the brand of hurling that is played by those wearing the red shirt.

Justin McCarthy: ‘I am not too happy the way hurling is going at the moment. You have a congested game with an awful lot of frees, rucks and melees.’

The 1984 All-Ireland winning coach would like to see Cork mix “old and new” instead of attempting to imitate styles being espoused by other counties.

“Bring in all the coaches at underage, minor, U20, and discuss what type of game Cork should be playing so that when they get to adult level they will know the type of play that will bring success. Everyone is playing a different type of game. 

“They should come to a consensus and say, what is best for the county. We have lost that a little bit. Cork now are looking at other teams in how they should play.

“Decide the type of game the seniors should be playing. I would suggest a brand of hurling that has some of the old traditions [of Cork hurling] and a mixture of the modern game.

“Players have to be able to win their own ball from long clearances. They all can’t get the ball played into their hand the way they like it. The way the game is going, it is five or six passes before the ball gets to the square. 

If Seanie O’Leary or Ray Cummins were there today, or even Christy Ring, they’d be waiting for a long time to get a quick ball into them. Players will have to be able to adapt to all types of situations. The passing game looks good, but you are not making much headway.”

The three-time Munster SHC winner has also called for the establishment of a senior development panel, separate to the county’s main senior panel.

“You don’t have too many ready-made players available to throw in. You’ll see young fellas and say, he was good in the county final or he was good in some other championship match, but they are not ready-made. You couldn’t say, he’s a prospect for the summer. Give them specific coaching for a year or two to bring them up another level.

“A lot of people are saying, we have to play with the team we have, get the best out of them. But I’d look further ahead to develop players to play a different type of game, if they had to. There is a lot of talent in Cork, from junior and intermediate teams, but would take a while to develop.”

Beyond Cork, McCarthy can’t say he has much fondness for how the game is being played at inter-county level at the moment.

A recent Christy O’Connor piece on these pages surmised that hurling has become such a possession-based game that it is now often more comparable to rugby than Gaelic football. Every big hurling match, O’Connor wrote, is now heavily defined by rucks and turnovers, ferocious tackling, and systematically produced possession.

McCarthy is in total agreement with O’Connor’s appraisal, going one step further by stating this has been the case for the past four years. The former Treaty manager declared himself not much a fan of Limerick’s “programmed” style.

I am not too happy the way hurling is going at the moment. I am a small bit worried about the game and the way it is going. You have a congested game with an awful lot of frees, rucks and melees. 

“There are different ways of playing hurling, but if that is the way people want it, personally, I am glad that I have seen better types of games in my time from playing to coaching and managing.

“It is a game that has to be expressed and shown off. Today, it is sort of programmed.”

McCarthy will be back on the sideline this summer as a selector with the Seandún hurlers. The city division is returning to the Cork Premier Senior Hurling Championship for the first time since 2010. The 2021 class is managed by Paul McCarthy, St Finbarr’s.

“When you are healthy and when you have the enthusiasm, why not stay involved with the game in some capacity? Seandún putting in a team is giving the players who are playing at junior and intermediate level a chance to play senior hurling, that is the main thing.”