Bright new dawn for Cork hurling, whatever happens in these finals

YOU wait for years for an All-Ireland final and then four of them come along at once.

That’s not a complaint.

The fact that the 2020 Cork U20s only played, and won, their All-Ireland final against Dublin as recently as July 10 meant that there was a significant feeling of positivity around hurling when the respective minor, U20 and senior set-ups commenced their 2021 campaigns. And here we are, only a matter of weeks later, and Cork are set to experience three All-Ireland finals in less than a week.

Oh to be a Rebel!

Regardless of the outcome of these three finals, 2021 will be seen as a positive year for Cork hurling. Obviously, three wins would be ideal, but the experience that will be garnered by 70, or so, young Cork hurlers is bound to have positive impacts for years to come.

Various Cork sides had gotten close in the last decade or so. The seniors losing that replay to Clare in 2013, the U21 and U20 sides of 2018 and 2019 losing their All-Ireland finals to Liam Cahill-coached Tipperary outfits, and the minors of 2017 coming up just short in the All-Ireland clash against Galway as well.

So, what has changed between those teams all coming up short and this year’s vintages, at least so far, looking the business?

On a micro-level there are many reasons for this turnaround, with the top of the list being the fact that Cork are now enjoying the fruit of years of the hard labours of the many individuals who have worked so diligently to reignite Cork’s juvenile structures.

But on a macro level it can be explained by the fact that for the first time in a long time all Cork teams are now coming out on the right sides of tight battles.

Fair enough, this year’s minors have not proved their dogfighting credentials, as of yet, given that they sailed through their Munster campaign with 40, 10, and 11 point victories over Clare, Limerick and Waterford, respectively. They can expect a much stiffer challenge from the winner Galway in the final.

But last year’s U20s, this year’s crop and the seniors have all come through genuine arm wrestles where they have been put to the pin of their collar and prevailed.

The Munster U20 semi-final victory of last year was a huge turning point for Pat Ryan’s U20 side last December. They had failed to fire for an hour but managed to secure a draw against Limerick before completely dismantling them in extra time on a scoreline of 2-29 to 0-21.

They really took the confidence garnered from that win straight into the Munster final against Tipp, winning that title two days before Christmas in impressive fashion. And then they shrugged off a near seven-month break waiting for the All-Ireland to take the Dubs apart in the opening quarter of the final in Nowlan Park.

GRIT

This year’s U20s arguably had to go even deeper to qualify for their All-Ireland final. They came from six points down against Tipp to win their Munster semi-final by six, while in the final against Limerick they were able to respond brilliantly, after Limerick had wiped out their own six-point lead, to eventually win by 1-26 to 1-24.

The seniors would have been considered a fragile enough creature when facing Clare in the qualifier against Limerick, but they got the job done, despite a late Banner rally, thanks mainly to Patrick Collins’ wonderful late save. They then kept Dublin at arm's length in the quarter-final before their most impressive showing yet, when coming out the right side of a thriller against Kilkenny in the semi-final.

The manner of the win is what probably impressed the most. To be six points up in the last few minutes and have that lead completely wiped out with Adrian Mullen’s last-ditch strike had most Rebel supporters fearing the worst in extra time, but to their credit they well and truly outhurled Kilkenny in the added time to fully deserve their place in the final.

At full-time memories were evoked of Cork’s failure in the 2018 semi-final against Limerick in extra time. In many ways, Cork has never fully recovered from that defeat, with tame second-half fade outs coming against Kilkenny the following year, and both Waterford and Tipp last year.

This year looks different though.