Cork hurling dream team 1970-2020: Keepers of the flame make it tough to pick the top Rebel stopper

Today we will go through some of the best goalkeepers to have worn the red jersey in those 50 years and at the end of the week, we will select our number one.

from St Vincent’s captained the team in 1970, the first 80-minute final against Wexford and in doing so he was winning his second Celtic Cross four years after the boys of ’66 had ended a 12-year famine.
He was a hugely dependable netminder with a very good eye for the ball, one who instilled plenty of confidence into those in front of him.

from Ballinhassig was the number one for the three-in-a-row team of ’76, ’77 and ’78.
A top-notch netminder, he played a key role in that great team. He made a sensational save from Wexford’s Christy Keogh in the ’78 final, a save that effectively won the match for Cork.

was his most successful successor, one of the great goalkeepers of any era.
A former Hurler of the Year, he was a star in ’84, ’86 and 1990 and anyone watching TG4 recently will have seen that wonder save he made from Galway’s Martin Naughton in 1990.

from Cloyne followed in his illustrious footsteps and he was equally successful, winning three more All-Ireland medals in 1999, 2004 and 2005.
Cusack was what you might describe as a goalkeeping student, always trying to better himself with his devotion to his art.

came in next and he too was a worthy successor to the man from Cloyne. Still the Cork number one, he’s one of those players who surely deserves to win a Celtic Cross.
A great shot-stopper with a massive delivery, he is also one of the hardest hitters of a ball in the game as he has proved many times with his execution of penalties and frees.
