Cork's Ciarán Joyce cites hard work as the key to quick turnaround in fortunes

Trying to beat opponents 20 days after shipping a 16-point defeat against them would be difficult in any circumstances.

However, it’s a task that is massively amplified when those opponents are Limerick and the game is a Munster SHC final at TUS Gaelic Grounds, the hosts trying to win the title for the seventh straight year. And yet, somehow, Cork did it, prevailing in a penalty shootout after a massive tussle over 90 minutes.

In the eyes of Cork centre-back Ciarán Joyce, key to claiming a first title since 2018 was the positive response to the heave defeat to the same opposition three weeks earlier.

“The last three weeks in training were phenomenal,” he said.

It was a real kick up the ass, to be honest with you.

“I’m lost for words. It’s some feeling. In their own backyard as well, it adds to it. You can see how starved for success the Cork crowd are, too.”

Speaking after the first match and again before the final, Cork manager Pat Ryan cited how disappointed he was with the team’s workrate. While there was not any hairdryer treatment from the management, the need to put in more effort was clearly transmitted.

“No, no harsh words,” Joyce said, “but our workrate was questioned in that game and any time your workrate is questioned, it does get to you because you put so much into it.

“You could see that we fought tooth and nail for every ball and it’s an unreal feeling when everyone in the 15 is fighting like that.”

It was absolutely essential that that happened if there was to be any hope against such tough opposition.

CHARACTER

“There’s savage character in this group,” Joyce said.

“Last year, when we got to extra time in the All-Ireland final, we learned a lot from that. We stuck to our gameplan and we didn’t in the final last year.”

Now, they are one game away from reaching the decider for the second year in a row. The gap between now and the semi-final will take managing but Joyce feels that it is something that could work to Cork’s advantage.

“Four weeks is something we’re not used to” he says, “but we’ve a lot of injuries so I think it will suit us and we’ll see now who we’ll be playing in the semi-final.”