Munster SHC: history haunts, but Cork are coming for Clare

Cork take on Clare in Ennis. The Munster Championship – since its switch to a round robin format – has not been kind to Cork when they face Clare.

In 2019, Clare were comfortable winners in Ennis, winning by five points. Played at Semple Stadium in 2022, Cork suffered the same disappointing fate, falling 11 points behind early on and a late resurgence disguised just how far off the pace Cork were.

In 2023, Cork were oh so close. Declan Dalton, Patrick Horgan and Conor Cahalane bagged the goals but despite a huge effort, Cork again fell short on the road.

This time the margin was one.

2023 was a season where a lot of things went right for Cork. 2023 was a year where Cork should have progressed from Munster.

Cork had dispatched Waterford with relative ease on home soil. Everyone on Leeside knew that they had to beat Tipp.

It was an outstanding game of hurling. It had a bit of everything. Cork gave everything but it ended in a draw. It was a draw that felt like defeat, however hard the Rebels had worked to achieve it.

That feeling would be compounded after the next two rounds.

The trip to Clare for their third round-robin game effectively sealed their fate. They had to beat the Banner in order to progress. That, or turn up at the Gaelic Grounds and take down four-in-a-row chasing Limerick.

There was always one option there that seemed far more likely. Neither materialised.

But despite Limerick putting 3-25 beyond Cork on a sweltering day at the end of May, there was an air of optimism.

Yes, Cork had been beaten, their championship cut short – no progression to the All-Ireland stages. But it seemed a much better way to bow out than the year previous against Galway.

PROMISE

Cork went to Limerick and scored 1-30. That scoring tally of 1-30 would have been enough to win every other Munster championship game that took place that year. It was more than Limerick managed against Kilkenny and Galway in the final and semi-final respectively.

There was an air of optimism because Cork had turned up to the Gaelic Grounds and dug deep. Huge underdogs with nothing to lose; an opportunity to knock out the side that had won three-in-a-row. They came agonisingly close.

Patrick Horgan was immense. Darragh Fitzgibbon and Seamus Harnedy were at their best. Ethan Twomey came on late in the game; a cameo that would be talked about by everyone in the days after.

The St Finbarr’s man is a metaphor for the development of Cork under Pat Ryan. The two-and-a-half seasons have not been without hurdles but have shown so much potential. Dare I say it, that potential has been reached.

Cork had failed to progress from Munster, but their ceiling had moved up a few floors. The stagnation and slump that followed 2021’s All-Ireland misery was firmly in the past.

Cork had regained the fight and were pointing in the right direction.

Heading into 2024, expectations were high. Against Waterford, Cork were flat.

They were completely outclassed. A huge reshuffle followed. Ryan threw months of league preparation out the window, making six changes for the second round versus Clare.

Eoin Downey, Tim O’Mahony, Brian Hayes, Ethan Twomey, Declan Dalton and Niall O’Leary all started. Six players who have become integral to this Cork team since.

Despite scoring 3-24, the same 33-point total that lost to Limerick, the Rebels were beaten in the Páirc by Clare, with many of the same issues that had impacted Ryan’s side a week earlier.

THE TURNING POINT 

A hurling game that will go down in memory for every single Cork fan. Cork versus Limerick. A game that Cork needed to win. Too many times in recent years the Treaty County didn’t just win – they humiliated Cork.

One last shot at redemption, hopes of All-Ireland progression on the line. Limerick scored 3-26. More than they had managed a year prior in the Gaelic Grounds.

More than Cork had managed against Limerick in ’23, or against Clare in ’24.

Yet Cork managed a staggering 3-28 to win it. The elation in the Páirc after showed how much it meant. It was a turning point for Cork hurling. It had to be – there was no other choice.

Ryan’s side then put 4-30 beyond Tipperary. They had found their groove. We all know what followed. Another remarkable win over Limerick, another heartbreaking defeat to Clare.

That win on home soil against Limerick was one turning point. They say you win or you learn. Cork have been forced to learn a lot over the last couple of years. But that time in the classroom has not been without reward.

The sting was taken out of Ennis with a staggering 6-20 scored in round six of the league. Galway were next to be torched, 4-22 scored. Tipperary would suffer the same fate in the league final, conceding 3-24 to the blood and bandage.

That will all count for nothing if Cork can’t carry that momentum to Ennis on Sunday.

Cork were fired up when Limerick came to Páirc Uí Chaoimh last year. Somehow, I think winning this one matters more to the group.

It’s time for vengeance.