Who dares to speak of '98? Cork's last league title laid groundwork for All-Ireland glory

Sunday’s Allianz Hurling League final affords Cork the chance to bridge a 27-year gap to the last title, won against Waterford in 1998.

Whatever the outcome against Tipperary at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh (the first home decider since beating Limerick in 1980), it is likely to be coloured by events against Clare in the Munster SHC opener a fortnight later.

It was a not-dissimilar scenario in 1998 – while Cork’s next match was against Limerick, a Munster semi-final defeat to the Banner, the reigning All-Ireland champions, meant that the league victory lost some of its oomph. Such is the way of sporting narratives though, when Cork did manage to go all the way to All-Ireland glory in 1999, the league win, along with the U21 titles of 1997 and 1998, was rightly given credit for having laid the foundation.

Cork had beaten Clare in the league semi-final in 1998, but word soon spread that the reigning All-Ireland champions had taken a dive, with the rumour being exaggerated to the point that they had trained on the morning of the match.

Classic Ger Loughnane mind-games, we were told, but Anthony Daly’s excellent autobiography relates a different tale: the Clare panel hiring a minibus for the day after the league game, the May bank holiday Monday, and going on a West Clare pub-crawl with the proviso being that nobody would drink until the championship clash with Cork or Limerick.

“We felt aggrieved,” he wrote, “we had a point to prove. And that mentality set the tone for our summer.”

Clare now respected Cork enough to have put in an extra effort to beat them. With no back-door available, it meant a premature end to the season but thankfully the foundations were not swept away. Cork’s star was clearly rising among those in the know and that would be proved in the league final against Waterford on May 17.

With Cork City beating Shelbourne in the FAI Cup final on the same weekend, it made for a double celebration, with The Echo front page carrying the headline, ‘Champagne Cork!’

FLATTERED

The final score in Thurles was 2-14 to 0-13 and a seven-point winning margin probably flattered a Cork side that featured current manager Pat Ryan, but then they had done much to earn their own luck before a crowd of 32,890. 

Seánie O’Farrell had scored a great individual goal just before half-time to give the Rebels a 1-6 to 0-7 half-time lead and while Seánie McGrath extended that advantage on the resumption, Anthony Kirwan, Dave Bennett and Paul Flynn were to the fore as Waterford came roaring back into it.

Flynn put them ahead in the 44th minute (league games were still 60-minute affairs in those days) but Fergal McCormack levelled as Waterford squandered chances to solidify their position, and Cork then gunned for the tape.

Alan Browne snaffled a second goal before a flurry of points made them comfortable.

Had Waterford won, then perhaps Cork might not have been able to see off Limerick in the Munster quarter-final a fortnight later – the county’s first championship win over anyone apart from Kerry since 1992.

Clare might have been primed and waiting in the next game, but there was no shame in being a bit behind them on the developmental curve. A marker had been laid down and the graph was pointing upwards. 

The following year, it would accelerate.