Pat Ryan: Cork are under no illusions about how good Dublin are

Ryan knows all too well the threat that Niall Ó Ceallacháin’s team pose having faced them in last year’s All-Ireland quarter-final and also having seen them produce a stunning performance to defeat Limerick just two weeks ago.

FOCUSSED: Cork manager Pat Ryan. Pic: ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne.

“Anything else?” asks Pat Ryan at the end of his half-an-hour long press conference on Tuesday, but he has already been more than generous with his time.

You wouldn’t know it from listening to the relaxed Cork manager that his side were just a few days from an All-Ireland senior hurling semi-final where, despite facing a talented Dublin side in their own backyard at Croke Park, all the pressure will be on the heavily fancied Rebels to win.

In fact, in some quarters, the Rebels are also heavily fancied to defeat the winners of Kilkenny’s clash with Tipperary on Sunday and lift the Liam MacCarthy Cup for the first time in 20 years.

But Ryan refuses to entertain those discussions as he knows all too well the threat that Niall Ó Ceallacháin’s team pose having faced them in last year’s All-Ireland quarter-final and also having seen them produce a stunning performance to defeat Limerick just two weeks ago.

“I thought a lot of it was stupid after the league because it's league,” said Ryan.

“What you don't want is, kind of, false analysis. that's trying to build up a team so they can be knocked back down.

“And I felt that was happening, to be honest, by Cork people more than outside people. That was one of the things that annoyed me.

“I just thought some of it was disingenuous because, let's be honest, I don't think anyone really believed that we were favourites when you have Limerick and who they are and what team they are.

“It crashed when we went up to Limerick the first day, that (16-point loss) kind of stopped all that. We know where we are. We're a very, very good team when we're on it. And when we're not on it, we're a very, very poor team.

“We've won three Munster titles in the last… 14, 17, 18. We haven't won an All-Ireland semi-final so we're under no illusions that that's something that we want to break.

“We're under no illusions about how good Dublin are. I saw how good Dublin were last year.

“And when Sars played in the club final - I know that's a different thing - but when we were sitting in the stand, we saw the physicality of Na Fianna, how well they were trained, how well they were coached, how physically ready they were to play.

“I remember turning around to my brother at the time and saying, 'Jesus, we're in for a big contest here' when we looked at them walking around in the parade.

“Obviously Dublin teams, whether it's hurling or football, minors, Under-21s, they're always in fantastic condition. They're always really, really good athletes. But they've added a good string to their bow and Niall has them playing a great brand of hurling.

“In fairness, I think the key about the Limerick game to them was that they showed unbelievable character and spirit.

Cork manager Pat Ryan watches his side in action at Croke Park. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile.

“That showed great unity within their group. I think that's the first thing you're looking for as any manager. Have we got unity in the group? Have we got spirit in the group?

“They certainly have that and that's the challenge for our guys on Saturday. Can we match that unity and match that spirit?"

While they Dubs will be raring to get back to Croker after a two week break, Cork fans have had to endure a much longer spell without a match, although Ryan admits it provided his players with the opportunity to get a rest they thoroughly required.

"To be honest, it was probably a badly needed four-week break for us,” added Ryan.

“It gave bodies a good time to get a break. We managed it well. We feel there won't be any excuses from us anyway from the four-week break.

“The key thing was that once you find out who you're playing, that gives you a bit of shape and structure to your training and what you want to go after.

“But from our point of view, we feel we've handled it well enough. The proof will be on Saturday. But it's like everything -- if you win, you were rested. If you lose, you weren't match-ready.

“We were back in here on the Monday after the Munster final, we trained on the Thursday, trained on the Saturday and they were two really good sessions.

“Really, really good sessions. Saturday, which was seven days after, was probably one of our best sessions of the year where fellas were really, really focused.”

For the players, the hard work will begin once the sliotar is throw-in by the referee at 5pm on Saturday evening as they look to take a step closer to ending Cork's barren run without an All-Ireland hurling title.

But for Ryan, he finds it to be the most enjoyable part of his job, now that selecting his starting 15 has been sorted.

"Matches are the easiest thing. I find them the most enjoyable thing. I find once you call out the team, and we head away here from Wednesday, I find that to Saturday the most enjoyable thing, because that's what you're doing it for. To watch the team perform,” he admitted.

“I suppose, from my point of view, that's why the Limerick game was so disappointing, because I would always value that our team will go out and perform and try their best and that's what you're looking for.

“Whether the result comes after that, that's fair enough. But that's where I get my pride in it.

"That the team are going to represent the jersey properly. Because that's my job, to make sure they're doing that.

“But look, I think once you get injuries out of the way, and you're not worrying about this fella getting injured or this fella getting back, and you pick the team and you give out the team, and the fellas are in good form going up there, I think that's the most enjoyable thing.

"In fairness, when you're in the Croke Park, there's actually less noise on the field than there is in a Gaelic Ground or a Páirc Uí Chaoimh “It seems amazing, it just seems because it's so vast and it goes back so far. Whereas if you were in Limerick the last day, or Páirc Uí Chaoimh a couple of times, or Thurles when it's really buzzing, they're right on top of you. So you can feel the noise a way more.

"From my point of view, and you used to talk about pressure, look, there's always pressure to perform.

“But that pressure is from ourselves, making sure we're doing right by the players.”

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