'Cork are definitely a lot closer to getting there than we are': Eoin Larkin on Cork-Kilkenny rivalry

Kilkenny hurler Cian Kenny, left, and Cork hurler Alan Connolly pictured during an Allianz National Hurling League media event at The Anner Hotel in Thurles. Pic: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

At the zenith of their powers, Kilkenny were being feted like the Harlem Globetrotters.

At the intermission when they put up 5-9 to Tipperary’s 0-4 and again at the end, they were afforded a standing ovation in the league game in Nowlan Park in March 2009.

A healthy crowd of 9,000 took in that demolition job and two weeks later another 3,000 had paid into see them rout Cork. 

Again, the home crowd rose to their feet on both occasions, at half-time with the margin reading 15 points and at full-time when they had hit Cork for another 12.

Coming back relatively cold from another strike, Cork were easy prey but on both sides there was a sense the visitors were being taught a lesson.

Cork had suggested they might have won an All-Ireland in the two previous years were it not for management, an opinion that was obviously viewed dimly in Kilkenny.

Jackie Tyrrell later wrote in his autobiography that there was “genuine disdain for Cork” in their group. 

He revealed that a player had said before the 2009 league game that if they had the chance to “bury these fuckers”, they had to take it.

In his own book released later that year, Dónal Óg Cusack certainly felt Henry Shefflin had been out to make a point. 

“He looked me in the eye and most of what he was saying to himself was, ‘There you go now, Cusack, 27 points. Take that home with ya’.” 

Scorer of 1-2 that day, Eoin Larkin recalls not wanting to give Cork “any upper hand on the chance we might meet them in the championship.” 

At the same time, he recognised they were depreciating. 

Ronan Curran, Cork, in action against Eoin Larkin, Kilkenny. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

“Cork were kind of slowly but surely withering away, going through a tough spell, so it was kind of all in our favour and not much was in Cork's and we were on our own patch.” 

The groups had their differences. 

Cork were the agitators, Kilkenny perceived as the establishment. 

Before Cusack claimed earlier this year that Tipperary was “the land of milk and honey”, he was using the same phrase about Kilkenny.

Larkin recalls his group not wanting for much in Kilkenny. 

“Look, to be fair to the county board at that particular time, they were really good to us. We never kind of looked for anything out of the ordinary. We never really had to look for anything that was essential.

“I suppose Cork had a different idea of what was essential. We would have been chatting about it over that period of time, did we really need kind of all our gear laid out and all this kind of stuff?

“Look, I think if they look back on it and were probably honest, they probably went a little bit too far. All anybody wants to do is turn up and train and play matches. You don't need to have all that kind of stuff.

“Now look, it did improve things in general with the GPA. It didn't mean we needed tons of gear or boots or anything like that. If you're going out hurling for your club, you have to go off and buy a pair of boots and a helmet and a hurl and on you go. That's all we really wanted to do.” 

At the peak of their rivalry in the mid-2000s, Cork and Kilkenny wouldn’t have mixed much on All-Stars tours. Cusack’s later reference to Kilkenny as “Stepford Wives” in his autobiography did little to help.

“It was probably hard enough after that comment, to be fair,” says Larkin. “With the strikes and things like that then, they thought we weren't supporting it.

Eoin Larkin, Kilkenny, in action against John Gardiner, Cork. Pic: David Maher/Sportsfile

“But look, as the years went on, we did kind of mix with a lot of Cork guys and it wasn't that we decided we weren’t going to go over and mix with them. It was just a natural thing. Like, you gravitate towards some players and some players you don't.” 

It was in 2008 that Kilkenny eclipsed Cork at the top of the All-Ireland SHC roll of honour. Cork have been stuck on 30 titles for 21 years, while The Cats’ haul of 36 has remained the same for 11.

Larkin’s opinion of the current side’s chances of bridging the gap is unvarnished. 

“They conceded four goals against Tipperary in last year’s semi-final – you can't get to an All-Ireland final conceding that amount of goals. We had our chances to put Tipperary away and didn't take them.

“I'd say if we had got to the All-Ireland final, Cork would have probably beaten us. Cork are definitely a lot closer to getting there than we are at the moment. But that guarantees you nothing. You still have to go out and produce.” 

The James Stephens man is positive about Kilkenny’s changes in defence but it’s in attack where has sees plenty of room for improvement. 

“The puck-outs are quicker and is it because we don't have to play a long ball down where there aren’t enough ball-winners in the half-forward line?

“I’d worry that when it comes to championship, everybody will be switched on to that, and it won't be working as well. I know we've got a couple of lads to come back but we can't be hanging our hat on TJ Reid, he's 38 years of age. You can't be waiting for him to come back and everything to spring into life either.”