THREE STAPLES OF CORK ACCORDING TO SEÁN ÓG
Cork ace eclipsing stars of old, says Ó hAilpín
THE Cork supporters will make the town end their own on Sunday, as they always do on their pilgrimage to Thurles. They will make Semple Stadium their home from home and Seán Óg Ó hAilpín says it is all down to how people grow up in Cork.
‘If you want to be a Corkonian, you have to drink Murphy’s, eat drisheen and go to Thurles,’ the former wing-back explains. ‘It just captures people’s imagination, going to Thurles.
‘As soon as any Cork person is born, Semple Stadium seems to be ingrained in their heads. It’s the Mecca as a player or a spectator. And I think that’s the main reason that Cork have had so much success there, more than at Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
‘The pitch is so big, it suits Cork’s style of hurling. They like open space, especially at this time of year when the ball is zipping around. That helps fast players. They have just adopted it as a home because of the success there. I still get a generation of people who tell me the game’s in Thurles, Cork will be three points up before the ball is thrown in. And they still believe that.
‘When you add all of that up, that is why Cork people love going to Thurles and why it has been a good stomping ground for Cork hurlers over the years,’ Ó hAilpín says, concluding his exhaustive answer with a wide smile.
The Rebels may like nothing more than going to Thurles but Ó hAilpín reckons that he would prefer to be in the Tipperary dressing-room on Sunday afternoon, as their entire summer is on the line.
‘If I was still playing, I would rather be in a Tipp dressing-room than the Cork one. This is a line in the sand game for them, it’s do-or-die. The Cork camp will be taking it seriously but Tipp need to set the agenda on Sunday. Tipp can’t afford to go out like last Sunday and play second fiddle in most contests. They need to set their stall out from the start and I think they will.’ Ó hAilpín, who launched Centra’s sponsorship of this year’s All-Ireland hurling championship in Glasnevin yesterday, recalled that Tipperary were being written off before the semi-final against Galway last August and it was only Joe Canning’s moment of magic that beat them. Like any good Corkonian, he knows the danger of a Tipperary team backed into a corner. ‘People questioned Tipperary going into the semi-final. I thought they were very unlucky not to win that game, it took a superhuman effort from Galway. You will see that again from Tipperary on Sunday because they are perceived as being down in the doldrums but I think there is only going to be a puck of a ball between the teams.
‘Cork-Tipp games takes on a whole new dimension. Over the years, they have just been classics. It is like a bad luck sign going in as the team on form. I have been involved in games where Cork have gone in as raging-hot favourites only to go past the Horse and Jockey with the tail between our legs. It would be foolish to think that we will see a repeat of Tipperary’s performance last week. Cork will be tested in a lot of ways on Sunday.’
As a legendary wing-back himself, Ó hAilpín is encouraged by the way that Mark Coleman has maintained his form from last summer. There is no sign of a difficult second season for the young Blarney native.
Ó hAilpín worked with Coleman while coaching UCC last year and he feels that he already looks like going down as one of the all-time great wing-backs that Cork seem to produce at will.
‘He’s a class act,’ he exclaimed. ‘This fella is putting all the previous number 7s and wing-backs to shame and Cork have produced some great wing-backs over the years, Denis Coghlan, Pat Harnett, Jim Cashman, John Gardiner, Ronan Curran.
‘He is playing like a fella who has been there for 10 seasons. He has great big match-day temperament and you can’t buy that. I worked with him briefly with UCC freshers and this kid is a beauty to deal with. He is so good that I would say he could coach himself to play the game. Even when Mark is still under pressure, he can still deliver a high-percentage ball to the Cork forwards to win the ball.’
If Coleman maintains his brilliant form in the half-back line, then the Corkonians will be pretty happy, tucking into their Murphy’s and drisheen after returning home from their pilgrimage to Thurles this Sunday.