Last time Cork footballers went 12 years or more without a Munster title was from 1928 to '43

ANOTHER year, and another disappointing season for Cork football.

Before a ball was thrown in, I got the feeling that they’d be fortunate to make it to the quarter-finals again as they did in 2023 and 2022, and that definitely proved to be the case.

To be fair – they were matched up with Louth, and that was certainly a winnable game. 

Cork absolutely should have made it three quarter-final defeats in a row, but the fact that they didn’t speaks volumes on where football is at in the county.

THE CYCLE 

They always seem to progress, and then that’s followed by periods regression. It goes on and on. 

Ultimately, it’s the same cycle, where Cork are a decent side, nothing more, nothing less.

Of course they can cause problems for better oppositions – we saw that this year with the win over Donegal, and with the narrow defeat against the Kingdom last season. 

Even the victories over Mayo and Roscommon where genuine 'statements of intent' but they never amount to anything more than that.

Cork find these moments of momentum and get going, just to throw it all away when the odds are in their favour. That’s not being too hard on the players – they’re a solid bunch, and on their day they’re well capable of getting results. 

There’s no question of commitment in this team either.  They have good players, and they produce good performances.

ABSENCE

But there’s something missing, and this has gone on for far too long. 

Whether it’s moments of indecision, an absence of the cutting edge they need in the vital moments, or, just like last weekend, outright failing to perform at their expected level.

2012: That was the last time the footballers managed to win a Munster title, after a triumphant 12-point victory over the Banner.

Those days under Conor Counihan are more than just a distant memory. It feels like the formula for success has evaporated from within the group.

Despite the five-year plan and the initiative that has been made to take Cork back to where they should be, it hasn’t worked.

These players are all more than capable of performing with their clubs, and can do so on the inter-county scene too. So why can’t they generate any sort of consistency?

When you compare that 2012 Munster title win – where Cork picked up every single score from play, to the recent provincial decider that we saw in 2020, it’s embarrassing.

In the last 12 years, Cork have finished runners up in Munster eight times, without a single title to show for their efforts.

DIRECTION

When you look at the underage results, it doesn’t improve a whole lot. But there is one thing that stands out.

Cork have 12 U20 All-Ireland football titles, the most of any county in Ireland. The pattern is that those wins at what was then U21 led to the county bringing Sam Maguire home in the next five years.

1980, 1981, 1994 and 2019. The underage success in those seasons failed to translate to All-Ireland success, but only once did they not at least manage to secure a Munster title after. And that's the current crop.

If the Rebels can’t win a Munster title in or before 2027, they’ll equal their longest run of 15 seasons without a provincial crown.

The last time Cork went 12 or more years without a Munster title was in that 15-year run from 1928 to 1943. It’s as bad as it’s been for Cork in a long, long time.

Granted, it’s not the crisis Kildare are currently going through after being relegated to Division 3 and sinking to Laois in the Tailteann Cup quarter-finals, but it’s not where any single Cork player, member of the management team or fan wants us to be.

They can and must do better.

John Cleary is now questioning his future – but I think we can all see quite clearly he isn’t the issue.

Watching the players on the pitch, I wouldn’t be inclined to place the blame entirely on them either. Louth are a strong side at the moment and have made stellar progress in the last few seasons, and they deserve credit for that.

But if Cork want to get back to where they are aiming for and challenging for titles, beating sides like the Wee County shouldn’t be much of an ask. And yet it always seems to feel like we’re asking for too much.

When is it going to change? I don’t see any indication, at least for now, that it will be resolved in the next five years.

All I can see is another five-year period filled with mediocrity and marred with inconsistency.