'Killarney in the sun, Munster final, is one of the big days' - Cork's Paul Walsh excited for Kerry decider

FUN IN THE SUN: Cork's Paul Walsh in action during the Munster GAA Football Senior Championship semi-final. Pic: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile.

Paul Walsh grew up on the lore of Cork-Kerry Munster finals, so he’s thrilled to bring those big days back to Rebel football fans.

It’s been five years since the Leesiders last made the provincial decider.

After a promising spring delivered promotion to Division 1, they head into this final higher up the pecking order than any time in the past decade.

“For a lot of the Cork traditional football fans, Killarney in the sun, Munster final day, is one of the big days that they look forward to in the calendar year,” says Walsh.

“It's a great occasion. This will be my first time involved in one, so just really looking forward to it and hope to embrace it.

“These are the days that we come back training for. The likes of November, December, dark nights, weather not great, running round the field where no one's watching you. These are the days why you put in the effort like that and why you go training. It's for big days, like Munster finals in Killarney.”

Cork haven’t won at Fitzgerald Stadium since the 1995 Munter final, losing 10 games and drawing three in that time. Walsh attended plenty of those occasions throughout his childhood.

“I’ve a few good memories. Well, not great memories, but a few great games,” says the Kanturk half-forward.

“My family would have a strong interest in Cork football since I was growing up. I always remember going back to 2008, 2009, when Cork had a really good team.

“Munster final day was always a big, big day, so just really looking forward to being involved in one.” Cork were pushed for 50 minutes by Tipperary before stretching away for a 15-point semi-final victory. Walsh says there was “no roaring and shouting” needed in the half-time team talk.

“We knew ourselves what needed to be done. There was no looking around, waiting for inspiration, or waiting for John (Cleary) to come in and give us a kick up the arse.

“There’s plenty of experienced lads inside there. We all looked around. We've been in situations like this before.

“It was just a matter of weathering the storm, keep going, keep doing the right thing, stick to the process, and eventually we knew that it would come right. Luckily, it did.”

Walsh feels that the lessons for Cork are the same as those from the nine-point win over Limerick.

“In a lot of ways, it was quite similar to the Limerick quarter-final. Performed well in the first half, came out in the second half, took the foot off the gas.

“Today, didn't perform as well as we'd like to in the first half, came out in the second half, and really hit our stride coming towards the end of the game.

“In a lot of ways, it was a contrast between the two of those. In an ideal world, we'd be able to marry the two of them for the next day, so that's the plan for the next two weeks.”

Cork’s conversion rate needs some work after they opened the afternoon at Semple Stadium with five successive wides.

“There was a period in the second half where everyone really picked up how they were going, and the scores were coming hot and heavy then,” says Walsh.

“If you were to contrast that with the first half, when Tipperary had the lion’s share of possession, they were taking their scores, whereas we weren't. We were a bit sloppy at that end.

“The first five attacks we had, we came away with nothing, which probably added to it as well. They compounded it.

“No matter what we do the next day, we really have to be on it from the first minute all the way up to 70, 72, however long it takes.”

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