As a fan this All-Ireland final loss has broken me  

Oh God. Where do I start? How do I start? 

What do I write? I’m heartbroken here in the Upper Hogan Stand looking at the Tipperary players and supporters go crazy.  I can't believe it is their day, but they were better than us all over the pitch and on the line.

And I can think of is that should be us? How did this happen? We were the form team. We were the favourites. We had beaten them in the league final and the Munster round-robin series.

Regardless of the circumstances of those wins, we were the better team, had the better players and a better management team and here we are now in a state of shock – standing in disbelief, refusing to believe we have lost the All-Ireland final.

Again.

But to be truthful, we deserved to lose despite leading by six points at half time.  Only Tipp's poor shooting and a late goal gave us a lead we did not deserve over the 35 minutes.

We were like rabbits caught in the headlights.  We gave the perfect display of how not to play against a sweeper.  We never dealt with it.  Never changed to adapt to it and it hurts.

It was our time to win.

How. Why. There are no answers right now. This is the worst I have ever felt in my life after a game.  

As a fan I'm frustrated.  Why did Cork choose to play the worst hurling of the year on the biggest stage of all?

Why was everyone so bad? So off form and unable to cope with Tipp's tactics.

It’s like someone has died in the family unexpectedly while they were in the prime of their life.

They say it’s the hope that kills you, but I had more than hope. I believed the famine was ending today. 

We were going to end our 20 year wait for Liam to return to Cork.

I, like every other Cork fan could only see one result and that was us winning.

No, I did not dismiss Tipperary’s chances, but having gone through the teams, the matchups, the bench and the form of every player in both camps, Cork were going to win.

In fact, privately, I felt Cork would win this by seven or eight points. We would have too much goal power, better defenders and better substitutions, but again, here we are.

I’m in bits. It’s carnage on the Cork side of the pitch. Players are crying, lying on the pitch, heads in hands, some are standing with blank looks on their faces.

They don’t know what to do. I don’t know what to do.

This is the worst ever. No All-Ireland defeat matches this level of pain.

Having come through Kilkenny denying us three in a row in 2006, Clare in 2013 after a replay, forget Limerick in 2021, that was over before we could get upset about losing that final and even last year, that extra-time loss to Clare, while hard to take had set us up to win this one.

Or so I thought.  I had not and we have to find a way to go again next year.

The tears of anguish we shed after those final losses were supposed to be replaced by tears of joy today.

It was supposed to the coronation of this team in front of their loyal, passionate fans.

We had a week of celebrations planned.

The team would come home to the biggest homecoming off all time. Monday would become an unofficial Bank Holiday and Cork shut down to celebrate with the team and players.

We deserved this. We needed this. Now, it’s a wake. 

Fans will show their respect tonight, but not in a way we had thought we would have been once we won.

Sport is cruel. It’s not fair. When will it be our turn to win again? 

Right now I don’t think we will ever win an All-Ireland again.

This was our year. We got better as the season progressed. 

We won the league, won the Munster Championship and next was our winning the All-Ireland title.

I’m gutted. I can’t even imagine what pain the players are going through, but all grief is personal and mine is the worst it has ever been.

This is a shock. Tears are rolling down my face as I write this. I’m pale, feeling sick and wondering what to do next.

I can’t believe we didn’t win.

All we can do now is support the players.

 They have been brilliant this year and they have given us some incredible days over the past 24 months to be fair.

Today was supposed to be the best of them all.

I was ready to party.

Now, I’m ready to give up on sport.

I can’t do this next year. I can’t even say we’ll be back. I know the team will, but right now I won’t be.

This is depression. This is fatal. I can’t go again.

Sorry, but this All-Ireland final loss has broken me.