ANT AND CHECK

Cork No.1 Nash will make sure sliotars are in place for Munster opener after Banner’s sneeky tricks last year

IT’D be understandable if Anthony Nash was to take extra care over his sliotars this Sunday.

When Cork last played Clare in the Championship, his bag of balls was famously thrown into the Killinan End of Semple Stadium prior to the throw-in for last year’s Munster final.

The individual concerned was later identified as Niall O’connor, a member of the Clare backroom team and son of joint manager Gerry.

The Clare camp was quick to extended their apologies in the aftermath with the culprit making direct contact with the Cork goalkeeper, who played the episode down when reminded of it yesterday.

“He rang me and I said, ‘Look, I’m putting it to bed’,” Nash explained. “I’d say he just thought it was the right thing to do and I suppose it added to the whole day really.

“It was nothing really. I suppose whatever they wanted to do to win, you kind of have to respect that in a way as well.

“Fortunately enough, Pat Keane, the guy that looks after all our stuff, he had other sliotars ready to go and it was the same routine – give the bag of sliotars to the umpires and they deal with it then.

“They were the exact same sliotars, I hadn’t wet them or cut them or changed leather or anything like that with them.”

He continued: “Richie Mooney, one of our masseurs, takes the full-back line hurleys and while he’s going around he throws my hurleys into the goals.

“He was funny, he said, ‘Your sliotars are gone’. I said, ‘What do you mean my sliotars are gone?’. He said, ‘Your sliotars are gone!’.

“So he ran over and told Pat. Pat brought down the bag. The umpire had seen it and was sound as could be. He said, ‘Look, put in whatever sliotars you want’. So I took them out, handed up the bags to the umpire, the umpire took them and off he went again.

“It’s not something you’re expecting to have to go around after the national anthem and next thing you’re running back into your goal and the fella looking after your hurleys is roaring at you, ‘Your sliotars are gone!’.

“I had to ask him three times to see what he was saying because I just didn’t believe it. But we had it sorted in seconds thankfully and off we went then again.” Ultimately

Cork went on to win (below) and maintain their fine recent record against Clare, who come to Pairc Ui

Chaoimh on Sunday having lost their last three Championship games with Cork since beating them in the 2013 Allireland hurling final replay.

“From 2013 we owe them one still!” Nash laughed. “Ah yeah, I suppose we’ve played each other an awful lot in the last few years.

“There isn’t much between them any day. We probably play a similar style of hurling to each other. Try and play a fast style of hurling.

“They can put up a cricket score on top of you before you know it. They have the potential to do it, to be so effective up front.”

Anthony Nash was speaking at the launch of Littlewoods Ireland’s #Styleofplay campaign along with the ‘Style My Wall’ competition which carries a prize of €10,000.

See blog.littlewoodsireland.ie

I suppose whatever they wanted to do win, you kind of have to respect that in a way as well..