Rebels beware — final atonement never comes easy

Beaten All-Ireland finalists have often found it hard to recover from the disappointment.  But Cork and Galway will be hugely motivated by last July's pain.

LONG ROAD BACK: Eoin Downey of Cork reacts during the GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship Final match between Clare and Cork at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile

On the morning after the All-Ireland hurling final last July, Pat Ryan got a text from Conor Counihan. The words were short and to the point, but it was Counihan’s way of reminding Ryan of how he had suffered the same wound to be able to recognise the scar.

Beaten in the 2009 All-Ireland football final by Kerry, Counihan’s Cork returned to win the title 12 months later. The core of Counihan’s message to Ryan was that the agony he and his players were feeling in that moment could be transformed into ecstasy a year later.