Meyler’s feet firmly on terra firma

JOHN Meyler isn’t getting ahead of himself – even though he may well have every right to do so.

After guiding Cork to the Munster Hurling Final, their second on the bounce, Meyler is looking to keep things settled and not let anyone, inside or outside the camp, get ahead of themselves.

In the bowels of Semple Stadium last Sunday after his side battled past a Waterford side that just wouldn’t give in, Meyler was giving little away, stating right from the off the simple fact that told the story all by themselves.

“We’re in the Munster final. We set our game-plan out way back in January that we’d be one of the three teams to qualify out of this group for the quarter-finals or whatever. The game afforded us the opportunity to reach a Munster final, we’ve reached a Munster final, and that’s really it in a nutshell.”

Keeping his team’s feet firmly on the ground the head tactician was adamant that another performance like the one he had just witnessed (against Waterford) was never likely to be enough going forward.

“We have Clare in a couple of weeks, but that performance there today wouldn’t do. The last ten minutes were very good, but we need to look at that and examine it going forward.

“Our decision-making was poor at times, and the build-up to the game was quite difficult. Waterford were out of it. Would they turn up? What team were they going to play?

“Younger fellas and subs? Derek McGrath and Dan Shanahan deserve great credit for that [performance], but the bottom line is that it’s 5 o’clock now, and we’re in a Munster final.”

The result obviously was pleasing for Meyler but the manner in which his side dug out the win was even more satisfying.

“Whether we’ve been up or whether we’ve been down, we’ve shown great character. Horgan’s point, Harnedy’s goal, they were good scores. Waterford had a chance there with a free in about the 74th minute but we got to it and blocked it.”

After losing the first half in almost every area that matters Cork had to settle down and that was the main focus of Meyler’s message to the players.

“We just needed to calm down. Our options and decision-making in the first half weren’t great and we needed to improve that. We did that in the last ten minutes but we hadn’t done it up to then.”

The win will now be put to the back of everyone’s minds as Meyler attempts to get his side up for a repeat of last season’s provincial showpiece game and a rerun of the first game in this season’s championship.

“That’s over now, we need to look at the learnings from this and to bring them into the Munster final. Clare will come with all guns blazing. The first game will have no bearing on the final, absolutely none, there’ll probably be different players.

“Clare have brought in Podge Collins. We hope that Mark Ellis and Robbie O’Flynn will be available for selection.”