Harnedy not thinking too far ahead just yet
IT wouldn’t be too wide of the mark to suggest that one of the main reasons for the dramatic upsurge in Cork’s fortunes so far this year has been Seamus Harnedy’s return to top form.
An All-Star following his debut campaign in 2013, he went on to consolidate his rating as one of the leading forwards in the game before enduring what, by his own standards, was a poor season last year.
His value to the team was certainly underlined last Sunday, as he turned in a five-star display that did much to inspire Cork’s victory over Waterford. He was obviously a contented man afterwards, admitting it was a great feeling to be looking forward to playing in another Munster final.
“We’re delighted to get over the line today, and I suppose it was especially sweet for me because I’m living down near the Waterford border,” he stated.
“It was a bad year for me and a few of the other lads in 2016, but we just decided to keep the heads down in the hope things would go a bit better for us this year. I always want to put in an honest shift for the team and help the lads around me as much as I can, and you can’t really do much more than that anytime you go out.
“I’d be happy enough with the way it went for me today, but it’s all about the next day now, and we are under no illusions it’s going to be another huge task against Clare in the Munster final.”
The St Ita’s clubman agreed that Cork, in beating Tipp and Waterford, have upset the odds twice, although he said he never shared the view they had little or no chance of making an impact this year.
“To be honest, we didn’t pay much attention to how we were being rated before the championship, and we had made up our minds just to go out and enjoy the hurling. Everybody on the panel worked hard in training, the new guys who came in kept us all on our toes, and, when that happens, it inevitably follows that the hurling improves.
“As I’ve said, we were poor last year, but the management put a great emphasis on moving on, and it’s been basically a case of taking that message on board.”
Harnedy felt it was this attitude that enabled Cork to get back on course after Waterford grabbed a goal to draw level midway through the second half.
“There’s always a chance you are going to concede a goal in any game, and the important thing is you don’t focus too much on the mistakes that are made. You just have to move on to the next play and the next ball, because you are always going to have setbacks, and you have to be in the right frame of mind to deal with them.
“We stuck to the game-plan at all times today, and even after their goalkeeper made two phenomenal saves just before half-time, we came out roaring for the first ten minutes in the second half, and we just kept driving on from there.
“I can’t speak highly enough about all the lads and the management, who made all the right calls again, while the supporters were fantastic and helped us greatly when the chips were down.”
Reluctant to accept that Cork are on an irreversible upward curve now, Harnedy stressed they aren’t looking beyond the Munster final, dismissing the idea that they are entitled to go in as favourites against Clare.
“It’s a fifty / fifty game against Clare, and, from our point of view, it’s going to be all about getting consistency in our performance and trying to replicate what we have produced in the last two games, but today’s win certainly gives us great confidence.”