Cork v Waterford: Pat Ryan backs Rebels to respond strongly

A year ago, defeats to Waterford and Clare put Cork in a tough position after two rounds of the Munster SHC.

While the win over Limerick turned the Rebels’ season around, every game that followed still carried that knowledge that defeat would bring things to a close.

Last week’s defeat in Limerick now leaves Cork facing into a make-or-break clash with Waterford at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Sundty, but manager Pat Ryan is backing his team to again come up with the goods when required.

Traditionally, down through the last couple of years, when their backs have been to the wall, Cork have come out with their best.

“But, I suppose what we've been striving to get to is that your best has to be every time. That's what you're looking for all the time, that's what the teams that go on and be successful do.

STANDARD

“They perform every time and that's their standard and I think that's what we've been striving over the last two or three years to get to.

“Unfortunately, we didn't reach that standard on Sunday, but it's all in our own hands to make sure that we get to that standard at the weekend.

“But, look, we’re no illusions – Waterford have a lot of good performers, they’ve beaten Clare, obviously ran Limerick an awful lot closer than we did.

“If you bring it down to the last game in the Munster championship with an opportunity to win the match and qualify, I think really that's what every team is looking for at the start of the year.”

The 16-point defeat at TUS Gaelic Grounds matched Cork’s biggest losing margin against the Shannonsiders, the 1996 Munster SHC game and the 2021 All-Ireland final.

Naturally, the hope is that it is shown to be an isolated case, given that the usual workrate levels were far lower than usual. Equally, Ryan isn’t taking anything for granted.

“I think it would be foolish to just take it as a one-off,” he says.

“I suppose from our point of view, look, we just have to look at our preparation over the last two or three weeks – did we get that as right as it should have been, that side of things?

“Obviously, there's a situation where you're three weeks off, but the performance was too bad to kind of look into any of those type of things – that's something that you look into if you lose by five or six points.

“From our point of view, it’s about why our energy was that low, why our motivation was that low. 

They got a run on us early and we just weren't able to stem the tide.

“But there's a great opportunity now at the weekend, so you have to park things as soon as soon as you can.

“We’ve moved on, we were back in the gym on Monday night, focusing on Waterford, which is the most important thing.”

It may even prove to be a valuable educational tool.

“What I would say is that the performance kind of puts you on guard going forward,” Ryan says. “Maybe we took our eye off the ball or something along those lines, but, from our point of view, it’s Waterford on Sunday.

TRIMMING

“We’re not the first team to get a trimming off Limerick, but it's how you respond to it and what type of character you show and how you want to represent the jersey the next day.

“I think that's the biggest disappointment for us – we've been at pains to say how much we value representing the jersey and the players themselves value it and representing our fans.

That wasn’t acceptable from our group at the weekend, so we’re expecting a big reaction from the guys.

“We also know that Waterford are in a great place as well – they’re coming up, knowing that it’s a genuine knockout game and it’s a very exciting place to be.”