Cork's Alan Connolly: 'When we're at our best, I don't think anyone can beat us'

Alan Connolly, Cork's goal king over the last five years, feels something good is "brewing" in Ben O'Connor's panel

Alan Connolly is expecting an 'unbelievable atmosphere' in Thurles when Cork face Tipperary in their opening Munster SHC game. Pic: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

It's the thought that keeps Alan Connolly going, that keeps him turning up to Cork training night after night, week after week. That when they catch fire, they're unbeatable.

That's his feeling anyway and the good news for Cork supporters is that Connolly can feel something pretty positive 'brewing' as the clock ticks down to Sunday's Munster SHC blockbuster in Thurles.

Speaking at an event organised by All-Ireland SHC sponsor Bord Gáis Energy, Connolly was asked if Cork are a much different group now to the one that lost to Tipp in last July's All-Ireland decider.

"Ben's come in and they're trying to bring in their own way, without changing too much either," said Connolly of the management team. "We're learning every game, every session. And every year we've kind of grown.

"We kind of just focus on ourselves. We're not trying to worry about anyone else. When we're at our best, I don't think anyone can beat us."

Has that happened often, that he felt he was in a Cork team operating at its peak?

"Yeah, a few times over the years alright," said Connolly, Cork's goal king over the last five years or so. "It's when you just feel so connected to everyone on the pitch. You might not even need to say anything, you just make eye contact and you just know we're all connected. We just know the game plan, we know all the same things, the platform and everything."

It sounds like Connolly is talking about being in the zone, that flow state that athletes try so hard to get into. But how does he, or the Cork team generally, go about getting into the zone?

"Good preparation, having a good connection with everyone," replied Connolly. "And I suppose having clarity on your own game and stuff like that. It'll come someday, definitely. I feel it brewing alright in the camp."

Trying to get into the zone is as much about being in the right mental state as physical state. Connolly knows about that side of things well. As the team's free-taker, he's careful not to allow any negative thoughts from a missed free to creep into his general game.

"Definitely, you can't allow it to affect you," he said. "You can't let it get to you. Probably with me, the biggest thing for me is I'd be chasing perfection, in previous years, but perfection doesn't exist. And if you're chasing something that doesn't exist, you're going to be running around in circles. In terms of the frees, I'm not looking for the perfect strike or anything, just for it to get over the bar."

If the worst comes to the worst in Thurles this weekend, and he skews a couple wide, he'll quickly reset himself and move on.

"It can't go any worse than going wide," he shrugged.

Connolly is expecting an 'unbelievable atmosphere' in Thurles. He feels that while it will be a rematch of last year's All-Ireland final, which Tipp won with a second half onslaught, Cork have moved on and changed in different ways.

"Yeah, a lot of lads showed up in the League and took their chances," said Connolly, one of 34 players used by Ben O'Connor in Division 1A. 

"Hugh O'Connor came in and did well. William Buckley's come in, he's done really well. Barry Walsh obviously, he's doing fantastic himself. A few other players, like Alan Walsh, it's been nice to freshen it up a bit as well."

Connolly was positive regarding the reported hamstring tweak suffered by Seán O'Donoghue in Cork's Division 1A final defeat.

"He's fine," said Connolly. "I heard that alright (that he's injured). I didn't know anything was wrong with him, like. I don't think there is."