Cork finally inhale the scented air of All-Ireland success

10 July 2021; Cork players celebrate following the 2020 Bord Gáis Energy GAA Hurling All-Ireland U20 Championship Final match between Dublin and Cork at UPMC Nowlan Park in Kilkenny. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

The curious status of the successful U20 team was summed up by both managers after Saturday night’s All-Ireland final in Nowlan Park.

While Cork supporters, giddy with success, milled around their players on the field, the Dublin squad trooped disconsolately to the dressing-room: polar opposites. Yet Pat Ryan of Cork and Dublin’s Paul O’Brien were making similar noises.

“It (the title) takes the monkey off our back a small bit going forward,” said Cork boss Ryan of the win. “It’s still only U20 at the same time and we’re used to winning senior All-Irelands, but it does take the monkey off our back a small bit.” 

Dublin manager O’Brien echoed his opposite number: “We were never going to give up, that’s just the calibre of players that we have.

“It’s all about building towards the senior team, and they have a Leinster final now next Saturday. We’re trying to produce fellas through squads and underage teams to play and compete and win a Liam MacCarthy Cup, and you can’t lose sight of that as the end goal.” 

Some U20s graduate a little earlier, of course. Both sides were sprinkled with names that have figured in senior league and championship games.

Exhibit A: Cork’s opening goal. The Leesiders hit four points in three minutes before Alan Connolly, introduced in the Munster senior hurling clash with Limerick, meandered his way through the Dublin defence before setting up Padraig Power for a goal chance - Eddie Gibbons saved but Sean Twomey finished the rebound, and Cork were on their way.

Dublin fought back but were always on the back foot after Cork’s blistering start to the game.

Cork's Daire Connery celebrates with Darragh Flynn. Picture: INPHO/Ken Sutton

“Every team tries to have a good start,” said Ryan afterwards. “Our lads are very sharp and we got a run on them at the start, I thought we should have been a few more up but we stuck in there.” 

Cork surfed that bright opening to half-time, when they led 1-11 to 0-7. Dublin improved in the second half but Cork always kept them at arm’s length. Brian Roche’s hard running set up Power for a second goal ten minutes from time and the game was Cork’s to lose.

Dublin’s late, late goal from Luke McDwyer gave them hope, but sub Jack Cahalane hit an insurance score for the Leesiders.

Paul O’Brien gave a frank assessment of the game: “In fairness to Cork, for a team that hadn’t played a championship match in six months or whatever, they came out with all guns blazing, and that was the difference in the end, the way they start the game.

“And fair play to them, they brought a massive intensity to the game. They were a very well prepared team in fairness to them, and they won Munster. They performed, they were well set up, so fair play to them.” 

Pat Ryan felt there was more in Cork: “We probably got a bit of white line fever towards the end, the same thing happened against Tipperary.

“In fairness to Dublin, they came at us in waves as well - they’re a very good side, and we knew they were a very good side, so we’re delighted to get the win.” 

here’s little time to savour the win for Cork, with the Munster U20 hurling championship beginning again this week, but that won’t dilute the significance of the title for the county.

Ryan and two of his fellow selectors, Wayne Sherlock and Brendan Coleman, were on the second-last Cork U21 team to win the All-Ireland back in 1997 and will have a keen appreciation of the significance of the win, and its potential to act as scaffolding for progress at senior level.

In that sense, Saturday's game was a stark outline of what is needed at the top level, with the performance of Brian Roche a case in point. The Bride Rovers wing-forward didn’t score but wasn’t replaced because of his appetite for work, and it was no surprise to hear Pat Ryan single him out for praise (“I thought his workrate in the middle of the field was fantastic, the two Roches are unbelievable fellas”).

At senior level Cork have been in dire need of a workhorse to pitch in and truffle out dirty ball - and then carry it from the middle of the field: Roche’s creation of Cork’s second goal will surely put his name on Kieran Kingston’s radar.

In fact, Cork’s ability to win possession and turn opponents over in the middle of the field was another significant development for a county reared on wristy forwards in splendid isolation snapping over points.

Taken in conjunction with the experience of closing out a second final in a row, as well as a shared scoring load up front, and there was a good deal to cheer those in the C-reg cars leaving Kilkenny on Saturday night.

And perhaps a good deal to look forward to.