Hype is irrelevant to Cork hurlers, they've always believed in themselves insists Shane Kingston
KINGSTON'S TOWN: Eir ambassador and hurler Shane Kingston. Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
The levels of expectation in Cork would be an issue for the team if supporters weren’t only catching up with the ones the players have about themselves, says Shane Kingston.
Hype is not a dreaded word for a bunch who have great designs themselves.
“I suppose the belief amongst the group was always there,” insists the Douglas man. “Maybe it was the public that didn't really have the belief and they're the ones kind of hyping everything up now.
“We kind of knew what we were about all the time. We were unfortunate for the last number of years where things didn't go our way, really. We were always focused and knew the capabilities among the group and we're still focused and driving on really. People are hyping things up but that's kind of got nothing to do with us. We can only control ourselves and how we're training and playing in matches.”
Two years ago, Limerick manager John Kiely slammed the “softening up exercise” aimed at his team. Speaking after a narrow opening provincial win over Waterford, Kiely felt there were attempts to blow his team out of proportion as a means of setting them up for a fall.
In Cork’s situation, a lot of the talk about them as potential All-Ireland champions comes from within the county and doesn’t have an ulterior motive. That’s not to say it can be fully embraced, Kingston feels.
“We're kind of aware of the hype and it's irrelevant to us, really. It's kind of the outside noise and irrelevant to us, whether things are going well or going bad.”
What isn’t hype is the array of options Pat Ryan has at his disposal, especially in the opposition half. Fourteen different players have started in the attack so far this year. Seamus Harnedy and Conor Lehane were not among them either.
Pádraig Power’s season-ending injury robbed Ryan of a promising inside man but Cork will more than get by and doesn’t Kingston know it. A starter in the opening two Division 1A games, a groin injury sidelined the 27-year-old before he came off the bench in the last couple of fixtures, including the final.
Kingston has spoken before about his frustration with the super sub tag but he describes the competition for places in the 26 never mind the 15 as “ridiculous”. If he is asked to play the finishing role against Clare this weekend, he’ll obviously oblige and adjust his mindset accordingly.
“I suppose you kind of just get used to it no matter whether you're starting or you're an impact player you're focused on what you have to do whether it's for 70 minutes or it's for 20-25 minutes. You're putting yourself in the best position to get the most out of yourself and do the best for the group, really.
“I suppose the competition for the first 15 is mad and then even the 26 then as well, which is great. I suppose it keeps you focused, it keeps you grounded knowing that you have to get the work done, get the most out of every training session.”
Although he left off the celebrations, winning a national title last Sunday was appreciated by Kingston as much as he notes "it's not the one we really want".
It was his third medal as a Cork senior and bridged a seven-year gap to his previous one when they defended a Munster title.
“Probably didn't embrace it enough at the time,” he admits. “But look it's the first bit of silverware since kind of '17 and '18, and they're so long ago now I barely even remember them. But yeah, look, it was a great occasion. It's 27 years since we've won a league, so it's brilliant for the group and the management then as well.”
Unless there’s a draw in Ennis on Sunday, one statistic will prevail: Cork’s inability to beat Clare in a championship game there or a third consecutive Round 1 home defeat for the All-Ireland champions.
Clare will be aiming for a fifth straight SHC win over Cork so the idea the visitors are overwhelming favourites doesn’t sit well with Kingston.
“We haven't beaten Clare in championships since 2021 in the Gaelic Grounds. People can hype things up as much as they want but we know we have a massive task going up to Ennis so we're not underestimating that at all.”
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