Few happy hunting grounds against Banner but Downey confident Cork can flip script
UPS AND DOWNS: Cork hurler Rob Downey at the launch of the Inaugural Cork Super Cup, SuperValu Pairc Ui Chaoimh, Cork. Pic: INPHO/Morgan Treacy
Once he was finished knocking the ball about with fellow Leesiders Adam Idah and Cathal O’Sullivan, Rob Downey turned his attention to more familiar matters and opponents.
The Cork hurlers are on the road to Ennis this Sunday. Cusack Park has not been a happy hunting ground of late. Downey interjects following the latter comment. An addendum is necessary. Cork’s recent record against Clare, no matter what the venue, has not had any happy outcomes.
The counties clashed on three occasions - League round-robin, Munster round-robin, and All-Ireland final - last year. Clare did the treble. There were two meetings the year previous. Neither ended in a Cork victory. Clare edged the championship clash, with the League encounter ending in stalemate.
Throw in the Banner’s 2022 championship victory at Thurles and that is six consecutive games where Cork have failed to better the saffron and blue.
February 2022 stands as the last occasion Downey and his comrades in red scored a League or Championship win over Sunday’s opponents. You have to go back much, much further for the last occasion Cork triumphed in such a fixture above in Ennis. All the way back to 2009, in fact.
Granted, there have been only five such meetings at Cusack Park in the 16 years since, but the point still stands. Not a happy hunting ground at all.
“We've probably had a poor enough record against Clare in general the last couple of years,” said Downey. “But look, we won't be dwelling too much on that. We'll train away this week and see what the weekend brings for us. Obviously, you want to win every game. Sometimes, that [record] might be a small bit of motivation that we might need.”
Sunday’s clash will fall exactly seven weeks out from the Clare-Cork championship opener at the same venue. Downey promises no shadow boxing on the part of the visitors this weekend.
He was far more circumspect, though, when it came to League aspirations and potentially shortening their run-in to that Munster opener.
Last year, Cork had a five-week gap between their final League outing and opening provincial bout. The county's opening provincial bout was a desperately flat showing away to Waterford. League final involvement next month would cut the gap between the two competitions to a mere fortnight.
“We just take each day as it comes. We’re not looking too far down the track at all. A League medal would be great but there’s a lot of hurling to be played before we get to any League final, so we’ll concentrate now on the Clare game. Did [the gap] affect us last year? It might have, it mightn't have.”
The 2025 championship will be the 25-year-old’s first as Cork captain. Management’s decision to plump for the Glen clubman is proof of his pillar status within this Cork set-up and team.
After a couple of years of moving from No.3 out to wing-back, Downey is now a settled fixture at centre-back. Shifted in there as a temporary measure following a hamstring injury to Ciarán Joyce midway through last year’s Munster championship, he finished the season as the All-Star No.6. Captaincy wasn’t long in following suit.
“I wasn't really expecting it. But when Pat did ask me, I was absolutely honoured. I was delighted and just looking forward for the year as a whole now," Downey added.
“I've said it before loads of times but we've plenty of leaders in our group. I think there have been four captains already in our group, so I don't have too far to look for any bit of advice that I might need.”
Downey’s return from a recent hamstring injury coincided with a return to winning ways for Pat Ryan’s side last Saturday. A second victory of the campaign has Cork sitting third in Division 1A.
“Yeah, it was a very important win. Obviously, it was a bit of a bounce-back after the Tipp game, where we were probably disappointed with our performance and a couple of other things.”
In commanding form upon his return, including 24 possessions, Downey was beaten for the individual gong on the evening by Diarmuid Healy. Making his first League start, Healy, in his first season out of U20, clipped 1-5 from play and was involved in another three scores.
“He was brilliant. Diarmuid is a fantastic player. I think we all know that in Cork at this stage. Very mature, well able, and I was delighted for him on the day.
“The depth is brilliant. There are two or three fellas that can play in every position. You are always watching your back. If you look at Healy and [Micheál] Mullins coming in there the last day, they are only young guys, so you have to constantly watch your back when you are training and constantly be on your toes, be sharp, and keep pushing on. We do have nice strength-in-depth in our squad. It is a case of keeping that going, really.”
