Pat Ryan goes for power and height to bridge gap to Limerick

Cork teams have struggled to physically cope with the savagery and intensity brought by Limerick sides

PHYSICALITY: Ethan Twomey of Cork in action against Kerry during the Munster Hurling League. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

A few weeks after Midleton won the county championship in 2021, they travelled to the Gaelic Grounds to take on Kilmallock in a Munster semi-final, fully intent on tapping into their heritage in that competition, fuelled by a yearning within the club to rekindle memories of a time when Midleton were dominant on that terrain.

In the four seasons Midleton competed in the Munster club between 1983-91, they reached three finals, winning two. Their ambition to return to those days was also driven by their coach Ben O’Connor, who won three Munster club titles in the 2000s with Newtownshandrum. “We’re going to have a right cut off Kilmallock,” said O’Connor after the 2021 county final win against Glen Rovers. “We’re going all out to win Munster and we’re not hiding that.” 

And then Midleton ran into a Kilmallock wall. They struggled to physically cope with the savagery and intensity brought by Kilmallock, both in the tackle and at the breakdown. Similar to the All-Ireland final three months earlier, there were numerous examples again of a Cork team being devoured on puckouts, and struggling to break free of the traps consistently set by a Limerick team.

The physical profiles of both sides weren’t too dissimilar to those of the Cork-Limerick teams during that 2021 season, as another side from the county was ruthlessly hunted down by an outfit in green jerseys. After hitting 23 or more scores in six of their seven games in Cork, Midleton could only manage 23 shots against Kilmallock, which amounted to just ten scores.

When St Finbarr’s lost to Ballyea in Ennis last November, it extended Cork’s dire win rate in the Munster club championship over the last 13 years to a paltry 8%. Yet the Barrs were forced to play most of the match with just 14 men, showing huge bravery and fortitude before agonisingly losing by one point.

Conor Cahalane’s harsh early red card deprived the Barrs of their main strike runner and their ability to get their running game going. But the Barrs compensated for that loss by being so physically equipped to go into the trenches and take on a hardened, seasoned and powerful Ballyea side.

The thrust of that charge was led by three of their youngest players, Ben Cunningham, Ethan Twomey and Ben O’Connor, all of whom showed what they can potentially offer Cork going forward under Pat Ryan.

The Barrs are a big, strong team laced with quality hurlers, but one of the standout features of the 2022 Cork county final was the size and physicality of both St Finbarr’s and Blackrock.

Overall, the Cork championship was more robust and harder-hitting than it has been in recent decades. For a long time, the game was being refereed completely differently to most other counties. At times, it resembled a non-contact sport. Scoring was dominated by freetakers. When the Cork clubs went into Munster, they often found themselves playing a totally different game.

That began to change. Referees are letting more go. The expanding S&C culture ensured clubs were producing bigger and stronger players. Cork were producing hurlers more equipped to deal with the hardship.

At inter-county level though, that process has been a struggle. When Cork met Limerick in last year’s championship, they were physically savaged once more by a relentless barrage of power and physicality.

Cork don’t have the same size or physical profile as Limerick but it would be wrong to assume that Cork don’t have big men, or that they haven’t had enough of them in recent years. Much of that perceived deficit in physicality and power has been highlighted through Cork’s style of play.

Cork were trying to play to their strengths, using their speed, pace and class. That was completely understandable to a point, especially when the game is so heavily defined by systematically produced possession. Yet the 2022 championship was a throwback because of such a return to old-school values.

Clare set that agenda in how they physically stood up to Limerick twice in Munster in a way others had tried to avoid. Cork felt that they couldn’t prosper in that type of game. Their aim was not to get sucked into that whirlpool of brutality but the manner in how they were floored against Limerick last April when trying to work the ball through the lines from the back was also a serious wake-up call. Mostly to Cork, but also to everyone else. Can any team hope to run the ball through that swarm in the middle third anymore?

Cork did tweak their style during and after the Waterford game, along with switching personnel into positions that suited them more, but Cork were also more direct in their play. That more direct style will frame much of Ryan’s approach — it was evident in his U-20 teams.

Ryan is a brilliant hurling mind who understands the complexities of the game. But he is also realistic enough to know that Cork’s style will need to be more risk-orientated, as opposed to being defined by risk-minimisation through seeking to avoid contact.

There is a delicate balance to that act but Ryan signalled his intent with the players he brought into the squad; Cunningham, Cathal Cormack and Brian Hayes (who Ryan coaxed from the footballers) are huge, strong men. Cormac Beausang and Conor O’Callaghan aren’t as big but they’re powerful and wiry. Deccie Dalton, another big man, was brought back.

Ethan Twomey, who is 6’3, and Eoin Downey, who’s 6’4 will become important players. Downey, Beausang, O’Callaghan and Dalton start Saturday evening, while Hayes and Cormack are on the bench. Cunningham is injured and will feature soon while Brian O’Sullivan is another debutant. Ben O’Connor is another hugely strong and talented young man who could have a huge future with Cork if he doesn’t go to rugby.

Throwing four new players in against Limerick is no surprise from Ryan. Ciarán Joyce, another powerful man who was one of Cork’s best players last year, was entrusted by Ryan with the centre-back role with the Cork U-20s when he was still under 18.

It’s not all about power either. Height - in certain areas - is often just as important when trying to take on Limerick. Paddy Deegan is a good player but a lot of the damage Gearóid Hegarty inflicted on him was because Hegarty was just taller.

Saturday evening is only another starting point on the road but, in terms of power and physicality, it will give Ryan a clearer indication of how much ground Cork still have to make up on Limerick.