'Things were going assways' - Proud boss Keith Ricken hails Cork minors' effort

The hosts came out on the right side of an extra time provincial final thriller on Monday night at Páirc Uí Rinn. 

REBEL YELL: Cork manager Keith Ricken before the Electric Ireland Munster GAA Football Minor Championship final versus Kerry at Páirc Uí Rinn. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

Monday’s Munster minor final, at several different junctures, was “going really assways” for Cork.

And while we wholly agree with the above sentiment, we can't take credit for the descriptive accuracy. The words are the property of winning Cork manager Keith Ricken, showing himself to be as colourfully articulate as ever.

Ricken’s full-time pride was less focused on the silverware collected and more to do with how his 15-, 16-, and 17-year-old players had rectified and reversed the assways direction they were headed in this Munster final.

His delight was that fear never took root following the multitude of mistakes and misses by those in red. Cork players never became “afraid of their shit”. They were never afraid of losing.

“There was a moment there in the second half of normal time when we were creeping behind a small bit. I had a moment where I said, ‘I'm really proud of this crowd’ because they really worked so hard, they believed in themselves, and they're a lovely, bonded group,” Ricken began.

“We have an old saying among us, if it's unstoppable or unbeatable, which one do you want to pick? They always say unstoppable because everyone can be beaten but you can't be stopped.

“That's the kind of mantra we have with the group. They're a very mature bunch. You see the way they played there tonight, things were going really assways at times. We didn't play overly particularly well. A lot of decisions went against us. The free count was kind of bananas, which can happen, and yet we just stuck to our task 

“And even at the start of extra time, we were on top, we were all over them. They were beating them hands down, but we knew we were spending every bit of energy we had on loads of wides, rashness, but like, that's young lads, that's minors, and that's also lack of fear.

“I'll tell you one thing that's great, I'd much rather them do that and lose than be afraid of their shit, like. They always tried to kick a shot. I was really proud of them from that point of view.” 

There’s a reason Cork GAA officials attempt to rope Ricken back onto the sideline every few years.

He has always and continues to put the person first. Development in life is prioritised over lifting silverware. In doing so, he continues to get the best out of the person, no matter the arena.

“At the start of the year, we asked them to be 19 years of age. They're very young, like they're 16 and 17 years of age. It's a big ask, but we've asked them to be mature, and they're getting the opportunity now to be a man and to grow up and to take that opportunity and responsibility, and they're doing that all year in training.

“Their parents, we talk to them, and they’re saying their son’s confidence is up, their attitude is up. They're better at home, which is what you want. You want better citizens really at the end of the day.

“Things were going assways out there, but things were asked of them too. Like life, things can go assways. They didn’t roll over. They didn’t fall on the floor. They just kept going, and I'm delighted with that.” 

Cork and Kerry have now crossed paths at underage level on four occasions this year. Cork have won three of the four meetings. The outlier is the Munster U20 final. That sort of red dominance is incredibly rare.

Before this year, for context, Kerry had won 10 of the 11 previous crossings of path across minor and U20. That included seven successive Munster final wins over their neighbours.

If not fully seismic, Monday night’s 1-13 to 0-14 result was deeply significant.

Look beyond a conversion rate of 38% and succeeding with just 4 of 14 shots in extra-time and you’ll find a minor team packed with potential.

Adrigole centre-back Conor Downing and Urhan midfielder Kieran O’Shea are the very best of Beara. In both the round-robin and final wins over Marc Ó Sé’s Kerry, the pair were totemic.

Jacob Barry is a full-forward of real presence and ability. Riley O’Donovan, Donal Herlihy, and Morgan Corkery all came off the bench and delivered impact. Goalkeeper Rory Twohig excelled at either end of the field. Gabriel Oronsaye of Liscarroll/Churchtown Gaels is a modern full-back mixing skill and athleticism.

Next for all of them and their teammates is an All-Ireland quarter-final against the losers of this Friday’s Kildare-Meath Leinster final.

“I don't put that responsibility on the shoulders of young boys, like we wouldn't do that in anything else in life, so we are not going to do that now in football,” replied Ricken when asked about his players changing the usual Cork-Kerry narrative.

“This is their journey. This is their time. You're only 17 once in your life. It's a lovely time in your life. It's a really special time, and this is a thing they'll look back on in 10, 15, 20 years' time, and the memories and the feelings. We’ll forget who scored, but they’ll never forget how they felt out there when they came out for extra-time and the crowd lifted them.

“I am delighted for people who are genuinely interested in Cork football, and there's a good cohort of people there. It was great for them to see a win here. But it was only a few years ago we won this, the U20s were brilliant this year, and the seniors have had a good year so far, even if they were disappointing down in Kerry, and they know that themselves.

“There has always been a good spirit in Cork football. It just needs to have results go the right way. See the lads are singing inside the dressing-room there, it is fantastic for them. Young men having the time of their life.”