Cork's attitude, not just their hurling, will decide how they fare in All-Ireland series

Given the hammering that Clare faced from Limerick in the third round of the Munster championship, perhaps the magnitude of the win Cork pulled off in round five isn’t all that surprising.

The Banner had certainly impressed in their win over Tipperary, and they did well to close out the win against Waterford. But – with the benefit of hindsight – we can see clearly where the shortcomings of the Déise and Premier lay and why they were dumped out of the championship.

Certainly, with the way it looks at the moment, you’d be forgiven for thinking the gap between Clare and the Munster finalists is a lot larger than the difference between themselves and the two teams that were eliminated from Munster.

Ironically, last season also saw the third-placed side in Munster receive a hammering from Cork at Páirc Uí Chaoimh, and they went to win the All-Ireland title, so nothing’s signed and sealed yet. But I’d argue Tipperary looked much better in last year’s Munster campaign than Clare have to date this season.

Darragh McCarthy’s early red card completely changed the scope of the Cork/Tipp game last year, and that would end up being Tipp’s only defeat in the Munster championship. Clare were worryingly off the pace against both Cork and Limerick. It was a complete no-show.

With none of Galway, Dublin or Offaly looking like they’re at the pace of Cork and Limerick, could we go so far as to call it a two-horse race?

I will.

They were the two favourites from the outset and they’re the only two to have played close to their best in the provincial series. 

Galway and Dublin have done very well, and they deserve credit for that, but there is no comparison between Leinster and Munster at the moment.

And, Ben O’Connor’s side have plenty of reason to be confident, even with the current injury roster.

For only the second time since the introduction of the round-robin format, Cork have gone through the four games without suffering a defeat. They went unbeaten in 2018, securing two wins and two draws, but they’ve managed to win all four games here.

The last time a team managed that 100% win rate in the Munster round-robin phase was Tipperary in 2019, and they went on to win the All-Ireland.

Cork have played some good hurling so far, but it’s the way they’ve played on the pitch and their attitude to championship hurling that has impressed me above all.

We won’t know if the scars from last season will resurface unless Cork make it to All-Ireland final day, but everything that we’ve seen so far is trending upwards.

Cork have come so close the past few seasons, and the team carries ridiculous strength on paper. They are blatantly, and obviously, well placed to win an All-Ireland. And so, because of that, Ben O’Connor’s job here was always going to be a mental one as much as it would be tactical.

CONFIDENCE 

Sport at the top level is decided by fine margins, that’s a given which has led us to the most overused cliché in the GAA space. But, when those differences are so miniscule – fractions of a percentage here and there – attitude is the natural tiebreaker.

Attitude can be the difference between a one-point defeat and a one-point win.

And from watching Cork this season, they’ve been spot on in that regard at every juncture, league and championship. They’re playing with confidence and without ever over-thinking the job at hand. They’ve been hurling at their best, because they can.

We saw in last year’s All-Ireland final the catastrophic start that Cork had to the second half, and how that impacted the rest of the game.

This year it’s been completely different, and I think O’Connor deserves credit for that.

After the catastrophic start in the game at home to Limerick, in which they were 0-10 to 0-3 behind after 16 minutes, unlike in the All-Ireland final, they didn’t allow it to shape what would happen next. They drove on, and did what they do best. Good hurling.

Sure, there was a touch of fortune with Cian Lynch’s dismissal. A sliver of luck again against Waterford. But have dictated what they could. They’ve put themselves in the best positions that they can, in every game this season.

If they continue to do that for the rest of the championship, it will likely be what decides whether Cork win this All-Ireland or not.

Barring a narrow defeat to Limerick where the coin toss doesn’t deliver the right face – there is no other outcome where Cork don’t end the wait for the Liam MacCarthy Cup, as long as they continue to play with confidence, and do what they do best.

Good hurling.