Declan Hannon: I've always rated Cork as a top, top team

Limerick hurling captain Declan Hannon believes that Cork’s winning run makes them a formidable challenge in Sunday week’s All-Ireland semi-final.

The Shannonsiders are aiming to become the first team in history to win five straight All-Ireland hurling titles, but Cork come in having beaten Limerick in the Munster SHC at SuperValu Páirc Uí Cahoimh.

That season-saving run kick-started a sequence of four straight wins to bring them to the last four – the first time since 2006 that the Rebels have had four consecutive championship victories.

The Treatymen will obviously be strong favourites, but Hannon is fully aware of the size of the task in front of them.

“Once the Munster championship is finished, the All-Ireland series takes on a new lease of life,” said Hannon.

“They’re all new games. Cork are probably the form team at the minute, they've won four on the bounce which is not an easy thing to do. We'll need a lot of things to go right for us to get over the line.”

This is Cork’s first year to reach the All-Ireland semi-finals since 2021 – when they were well-beaten by Limerick in the final – but Hannon feels that they were not far away from that level since then.

“I’ve always rated Cork as one of the top, top teams in the country,” he said.

“Every time we play them it's such a fast-paced game. Their skill levels are through the roof. Their workrate and intensity is savage.”

I think there was only a point in it last year. If Cork maybe came through, we were gone. So there's very little between any of the teams, to be honest in the latter, stages of the championship. I'm looking forward to another belter of a game. It’ll be great to be involved in it.”

Hannon, who was speaking at eir HSQ at the launch of the ‘eir for all’ Poc Tapa Challenge, also clarified his slip of the tongue during his acceptance speech after the Munster final win over Clare, when he thanked a backroom staff of 53.

“I thought it was 63!” he laughed.

“It gave people something to talk about, so it did. Obviously, that included the 36 panel of players. We definitely do not have 53 in the backroom team, that’s for sure.

“My father sent me a picture of the triple-decker. Everybody was believing it but it’s funny, I suppose. These things happen. I could have said worse but you have to laugh at it, looking back.”