Cork minor manager Donal Mulcahy takes positives from semi-final and year as a whole

While naturally disappointed with how his team’s journey ended, Cork minor manager Donal Mulcahy felt that they could be proud of how they performed, both on Saturday and across the year as a whole.

Four Munster SHC round-robin games were followed by three All-Ireland knockout ties, with Cork winning four and losing two. While Tipperary’s goal-getting ability ultimately swung the game their way on Saturday, the Rebels had given themselves a good chance.

“At half-time, we genuinely believed that we were still in the game,” Mulcahy said.

“By the 42nd minute, it was 2-14 to 2-10, we were motoring well and I thought we were retaining ball inside.

“And even looking at the first half, we had 20 shots off, they had 16 shots off – we knew by

our metrics at half-time that we were there or thereabouts, so even turning around to face a stiff breeze, we were still very confident.

“A couple of mistakes got us there at the end and, look, these things happen.”

Back in April, Cork had conceded the last five points of their round-robin tie with Tipperary in Thurles as they lost by seven; here they were again two behind going into injury time before the final scoreline gave an impression that masked what a close encounter it had been throughout.

Mulcahy was happy with how they had contended against a team that had won all five games they had played in the provincial championship.

“Tipp are a great side, we knew that coming in,” he said.

“Our thing was to try to put them under pressure and to force them to make mistakes and we were in that game for a lot of it.

“It was just disappointing for the lads to lose by eight points, because I don't think it was an eight-point loss.

“I thought it was a cracking game of hurling, there were some super scores, super individual performances.

“Both teams just went at it and I don't think there was even a yellow card in the game. It was hard and fair and I think that the referee, Niall Malone, did a super job. He was sensible.”

While Cork’s campaign will not continue any further, Mulcahy believed that it was a positive year, building on progress made at U15 and U16. Now, the challenge for the players involved is to advance again, whether that is at a higher grade with Cork or for their clubs.

“I suppose for ourselves, we have to look at this as development,” he said.

“For ourselves, we did our bit for them at minor level and we’ll push them on to whoever has the U20s now.

“There’s lads there that will kick but, even for their clubs, you’d like to see them go back and take the leadership that they've learned from being involved in an environment like this and go on and be really good club players.”