GAME IS MEYLS TOUGHER NOW..

John reckons Rebels hold their own against stiffest competition

FORMER Cork hurling boss John Meyler insists the Rebels haven’t underachieved – despite failing to land an All-ireland since 2005.

Cork’s proud record of winning the senior title at least once a decade since the 1890s finally ended when the 2010s slipped by without a title.

But Meyler, who was in charge for 2018 and 2019 – guiding the county to semi-final and quarterfinals in those years – reckons it’s now more difficult than ever to be successful.

Speaking on the first ever edition of the Kerry GAA Coaching and Games podcast, Meyler said: “Go back a few years, it was Cork, Kilkenny, Tipperary.

“If you look at hurling now, there are ten hurling counties – five in Munster plus Galway, Wexford, Dublin, Kilkenny and Laois – and they will all think they can win an All-ireland every year.

“So it’s a level playing field now where everything has to go right in the one year to win it.

“You’ve had Tipperary, Limerick, Galway, Clare and Kilkenny in the last seven years, that’s five teams winning Allirelands in the last seven years.

“Cork have been in two Under-21 finals, they were in the All-ireland senior final in 2013, the semi-final in ‘17, ‘18 and quarter-final in ‘19.

“I agree you need to win one or two Allirelands every decade to keep it ticking over but every other county is saying that too.”

Cork took Clare to a final replay in 2013 and were close to returning to finals in 2017 and 2018 only to let slip secondhalf leads in both semifinals against Waterford and Limerick.

Meyler said: “It’s extremely challenging and difficult nowadays.

“Wexford, Dublin, Kilkenny all think they can win Leinster, Galway obviously too, and the five Munster teams then.”

Meyler also revealed his regret that Kerry weren’t included in the 2012 Munster Championship. The Kingdom won the 2011 Christy Ring Cup under him but remained in the second tier for 2012.

Meyler said: “It’s a major disappointment. We had lost the final in ‘10, won the final in ‘11 and the next step then was the Munster Championship.

“A lot of people came to me and said, ‘Stay in the Christy Ring, you’ll be hammered in the Munster Championship’.

“But even if we were beaten by

15 or 20 points, you’d realise where you are and the next steps you’ve to put in place.”