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 3rd May 2007 The Examiner | |||
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By Diarmuid O’Flynn
THE city teams are striving hard to reassert their dominance in Cork hurling — that’s according to Newtownshandrum’s Pat Mulcahy, even as his own side prepare for yet another Cork County final on Sunday.
“The Barr’s were very unlucky against Erin’s Own last Sunday, I thought they had it when they went two points ahead with time nearly up. Glen Rovers gave us a right good test; we’ve played them a few times over the last few years but that was the best team we played, the most organised, the best team tactically. Then against Na Piarsaigh, if they’d Seán Óg (Ó hAilpín), they might have put it up to us. So definitely, the city teams are on the way back. We’re not blind to that.
“The city teams were strong for decades, then Avondhu and Imokilly came along in the mid-90s, that freshened things up. Blackrock came again then for a few years, we came along, then Erin’s Own won it last year. In fact Erin’s Own are on the best winning streak in the Cork senior championship since Blackrock were going for three-in-a-row in 2003. We’ve never managed to get back to a final after winning one, never mind doing two in a row — they’re back there again this year, against huge odds.
“They haven’t used excuses about losing players, they’ve just put their heads down, gone about their business. We saw it again last Sunday, coming back from two points behind with time nearly up to win by four points — that showed exceptional character. One thing that stands out about them over the years, they’re a pure hurling team, much like we are ourselves. Genuine fellas and good players. No doubt about it though, the city teams are coming — that’s what makes these days so important, that when you have a chance of winning a county, you take it.”
Still, with three senior titles since 2000, now appearing in their fifth final in the same period — to many, this is the Newtownshandrum era, their golden age.
“It’s okay, but if we want to be critical, we went to the final in 2002 thinking we’d win it, and we didn’t — Blackrock beat us. Then in two of the last three years Cloyne beat us.
“Last year, in particular, hurt; we knew exactly what they were going to throw at us, we knew exactly what was coming down the tracks, and we still lost. I remember we had meetings here before that game, we had trained brilliantly, we really thought we were flying, weren’t going to get caught like we did after winning the All-Ireland in 2004, but we still got beat. Two weeks of great preparation, but it wasn’t enough, we ended up losing. So, we can look at three counties won, or we can look at the ones we left behind us and think we could have more.”
It just goes to show: you can never take anything for granted. Everything might be going well, but you don’t know the mindset in the opposition camp. It’s a cliché, but it really is all on the day.
“The All Blacks against France is a perfect example of that. They lost their two out-halves in that game and everything changed, which shows it can happen to any team, at any level. There’s a huge element of luck involved and that means, for us, that we need our important players to be fit, even with the strong panel we have now. You need to prepare yourself for the worst-case scenario — how do you cope if they get injured? If you’re good enough, if you’re properly prepared, you’ll be able to put out those fires; if you’re not, you won’t.”
Speaking of strong panels, while many people thought they saw fatigue developing in Newtown over the last few years, after their All-Ireland final loss in March 2006 and their subsequent loss to Cloyne in Cork, Pat would like to point out a few details: “The average age of this team is about 26, so we’re not an old team, nor are there any really old guys on the team. That day will come, and that’s why it’s so important to get as much as you can out of it, while you can. The young lads have freshened things up, brought in a lot of competition, which wasn’t there in 2000.
“We now have a strong panel of players, which means we can even play good A v B matches. That won’t necessarily mean your starting team will be better, but it does mean that there are fellas on the line capable of coming in and doing as good a job. That’s very important. It keeps fellas on their toes, but that will only get you so far; ultimately it’s up to each individual to make sure his own head is right. It doesn’t matter what kind of competition is there, if you don’t have the ambition to win a county, you won’t — it’s that simple.
“Every year there are a few teams with a good chance; back in 2000 people were saying we were too young, but there’s no such thing. You don’t get these chances very often — some years you’ll think you have a great team but it doesn’t happen. You might be flying physically, but mentally you mightn’t be right, and you’ll lose it. It’s important that things are right upstairs. We haven’t played to our potential yet this year but we’re still there, in the final.
“The bones of it is this: as long as fellas stay with it, come to training, we’ll be there or thereabouts, because we’re still young enough.”
As for himself, this was his first year in a while watching Cork from the stands in the championship — does he miss it?
“Not one bit. There are great hurlers who never won an All-Ireland, never even played in a final; I played in three, won two. You can wonder about the ones we lost, about how things might have been different if only we could have changed this or that, but that’s life, that’s sport. You win some, you lose some, but if you can look back and say you gave it your all, then you can’t have regrets.
“I first got involved with Cork in 1997, finished in 2007; I did my stint, I gave it my all, and I’ve no regrets whatsoever. I’m still enjoying my hurling, enjoying this year. This is a big day now, particularly for the lads who haven’t been there before. It’s about producing the goods on the day, that’s what it comes down to.” | ||
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