Mark Cronin: 'If you can’t enjoy the build-up to a Munster final, you’re in the wrong sport'

For Mark Cronin, these are the kind of days he imagined long before he ever pulled on a Cork jersey.

Growing up, Munster final Sundays were part of the summer routine — the long spin to Killarney from the city when there was no Macroom bypass, the colour and the noise, Cork–Kerry games are different.

Now, as he prepares to run out at Fitzgerald Stadium himself on Sunday with throw-in at 1.45pm, he knows he’s stepping into the sort of occasion every young Cork footballer dreams about.

“You always love those battles going against the top teams, the All-Ireland champions, the Munster champions,” he says. 

“It’s what you look forward to. If you can’t enjoy the build-up to a Munster final, you’re in the wrong sport, to be honest.

“A big thing this year is we’re consistently building all the time. The graph has been going up since our first game against Cavan. We feel we’ve been building every week. 

"I don’t think we’ve hit our top levels yet — we’re always building. That 70-minute performance is what we’re hoping for now.” 

Cork’s Division 2 League campaign that resulted in promotion was defined by resilience as much as quality. The comeback win over Cavan, the top-of-the-table clash with Meath, and the consistency that followed all fed into a sense of a group finally maturing. 

“The Meath game here at Páirc Uí Rinn was big,” Cronin states. 

“It felt like either you take that step forward and be in the conversation we’re in now, or you lose it and maybe you’re thinking you’re not ready. It was a good test of where we were. We showed what we were about.

“You’re not going to win every day, but being competitive and at the top table is where you want to be. Hopefully Sunday is another stepping stone on our journey.” 

Cronin’s memories of Munster final days are vivid — the kind that stay with a young player long before he ever imagines being on the pitch.

“I remember going to Munster finals when I was younger. They were always big days. My family have always had a strong interest in Cork football.

“The Cork fans love to travel to Killarney. Hopefully they’ll do the same this time. Kerry will bring their crowd too. Cork fans, if you give them something to shout about, they’ll get behind you. They’re really getting behind us this year.

“Our belief comes from what we see in training on Tuesdays and Thursdays and how we’ve been playing. We’ll analyse Kerry, but it’s important to back ourselves. We know what’s in the group. It’s about getting the performance together.” 

Away from football, Cronin works as a physiotherapist — a career shaped by his own injury-ridden teenage years.

“I had a lot of injuries when I was younger,” he says. 

“My physio was Eddie Harnett — he was Kerry’s physio for years. I got into it because of him. Thankfully injuries cleared up when I was 15 or 16.

“The biggest thing is availability. You can be the best player in Ireland but if you can’t get on the pitch it’s no good. You have to be durable and able to sustain the inter-county season.” 

For Cronin, Sunday isn’t about hype or history. It’s about a Cork team that has been building steadily, finding its identity, and now has a chance to test itself against the standard bearers once again.

“It’s a final and you want to go out and win it. We know the task ahead of us. But we’re looking forward to the opportunity and another test for this group.”