Cork's Darragh Fitzgibbon: Why fear losing when you are living your dream?

The Rebels captain, while not wanting to write any doomsday headlines regarding the implications of a Thurles defeat, gave his own take on why banking two early points is just so damn important.

EYES ON THE PRIZE: eir Ambassador Darragh Fitzgibbon pictured in Croke Park celebrating eir's significant milestone moment in its network evolution. Pic: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile.

When you go and piece together the various campaigns, Cork’s opening-day record in the Munster round-robin isn’t at all hectic.

The sequence reads as follows: Win, defeat, defeat, win, defeat, and draw.

The 2023 result, at home to Waterford, stands as their most recent opening-day success. And but for Liam Gordan’s decision to play over a minute beyond the allotted six in second-half injury-time this weekend last year, the sequence would read four defeats and two wins, not three defeats, two wins, and a draw.

The latest entry into the above sequence could desperately do with being a win. No matter what they might or might not admit to publicly, Cork absolutely do not want the pressure, a week after any defeat above in Thurles, of having to overcome Limerick to hang on in the provincial series.

The inverse of that, of course, is putting the All-Ireland champions on the backfoot from the get-go and giving themselves the opportunity to be as good as qualified just eight days into the Munster championship.

The two roads could not be further apart. The opening day does so much more than simply set the tone.

Cork captain Darragh Fitzgibbon, while not wanting to write any doomsday headlines regarding the implications of a Thurles defeat, gave his own take on why banking two early points is just so damn important.

“It's crucial to try and win your first game. It's not detrimental and says that you're going to be knocked out, or it's not to say that you're going to be one of the top three teams through, but it just takes a lot of pressure off going into the second game,” he began.

“As a group, it shows the work that you're doing on the training field is working. It's something that we haven't done enough over the round-robin series. The Waterford game in 2023, that was the last first-round game we won, and we didn't get out of Munster that year.

“Things swing in roundabouts. You can't really get caught up too much in the emotion of a win or a loss. But given that we've got Limerick coming the following week as well, it's important to try and win the first one. But even if we don't win it, we know how to come back in the following week.” 

The 29-year-old was at centre-forward for Cork’s opening three games of last year’s Munster round-robin. One of the consequences and corrections out of the 16-point pummeling by Limerick was to return Fitzgibbon to midfield, where he won All-Stars in 2019, ‘24, and did so again last year.

Same as 12 months ago, Fitzgibbon will begin the championship in the half-forward line. This latest move, onto the flanks, carries a far more permanent feel.

There is enjoyment in the immediate gateway into proceedings that the half-forward position offers.

“Sometimes in midfield, the game can bypass you. The ball can be going over and back over your head, whereas in the half-forward line, you're probably going to get targeted for five or six definite possessions from a puck out.” 

The expectation is that on the opposite flank to him will be debutant Barry Walsh. Fitzgibbon was Walsh’s age when making his own debut in 2017. That is where the comparisons end, says the Charleville clubman.

“His pace and power for a 19-year-old is incredible. Myself and Tim O'Mahony were driving home from training on Saturday and we were comparing ourselves when we were 19/20 to him and his physical conditioning. He's years ahead of where we were when we were that age. In the gym sessions we'd be doing on a Monday, he's up near the top of the weights.” 

While not a golfer, Fitzgibbon stayed up late on Sunday night to watch Rory. He stayed up similarly late 12 months ago when McIlroy ended his own famine.

For a Cork hurler, there are lessons to be mined, even from the faraway fairways of Augusta.

“I would watch all different types of sports. I like to analyse people’s mindsets in terms of chasing their goals and chasing their biggest prizes, and how you can bring that into your own game.

“Definitely from the mental side of the game, you can [take inspiration]. Rory spoke a lot about his mindset shift and how he tried too hard in the last few years, and how he then went back to being like a child-like version of himself,” Fitzgibbon noted.

“Any high-level athlete can get caught up in the nerves and the results, but if you strip it back to when you were a young fella, say 10 or 15 years ago, that you would love to be in the position you are in now. That can help your mental preparation, as well, if you have a few nerves.

“Why would you be afraid to lose, you are living your dream at the end of the day.”