Shane Kingston: Cork have set new goals for Championship
Shane Kingston
Shane Kingston says Cork are making a determined effort to move away from “taking the handy point”.
Their 18 goals this year is seven more than they registered in the same amount of round games last season and 14 more than their 2019 campaign.
"Over the last few years, we would be having score-offs with teams, just point after point,” says Kingston, who found the net in the opening Division 1, Group A win over Waterford. “Obviously, we got a few goals this year so it was something different so it was great to see.
"Previously, we probably would have just taken the handy point. We were lucky enough to get a few goals early enough in the league so it probably built a bit of confidence in the squad that if we take it on we can probably get a goal out of it rather than take the handy point. You probably need goals to win games so that's what we're looking for.”
The Douglas man looks back on Cork’s league campaign with relative satisfaction despite finishing out with defeats to Limerick and Galway. “We were happy enough with it. We started off very well in the first two or three games. We dipped in the Limerick and Galway games and didn't perform as well as we could have or should have. The league is about building a bit of momentum, trying to find form and take a look at some of the younger fellas and I think evidently that worked out well for us.”
As Cork bid this summer to avoid the county’s longest stretch without an All-Ireland SHC title, Kingston insists they don’t feel any historical burden. The 16-year gap to 2005 is the same as that between their 1903 and ‘19 crowns.
“We weren't around then so, look, the stuff that has happened since then we couldn't control only the last few years but that turned out different. Every year you go into, you're looking to win an All-Ireland more so than a Munster title. Obviously, if you can pick up a Munster title along the way you're very happy to do so but stuff that happened 15, 20 years is irrelevant so we're not too concerned about it.”
