Anything bar top three is ‘disaster’

CORK failing to break out of Munster for the second straight year would be “a complete disaster”, says Seanie McGrath.

McGrath’s former teammate Pat Ryan (below) is in his second year at the helm and while the 2023 campaign was seen as a progressive one as they were hugely competitive in Munster, one-point defeats to Clare and Limerick along with a draw with Tipperary meant that they finished in fourth spot.

Expectations have risen in the meantime, however, and anything less than a top three finish and, with it, a spot in the All-Ireland series wouldn’t be acceptable.

“That would be very disappointing,” says McGrath of the prospect of Cork’s summer being done and dusted before May is out once again.

“I genuinely think we’ll come out of the group but I think Pat himself, he was a winner himself, a brilliant Cork player and a brilliant club player. I think Pat, with that winning mentality will be absolutely gutted if we don’t come out of the group.

“It would be a complete disaster.”

Moreover, McGrath feels Cork should be aiming for a first

Munster final since 2018. “We haven’t been in one in a while and obviously having been involved in a few as a player and being involved with Jimmy [Barry-Murphy] in ‘13 and ‘14, they’re still magical days. Cork would bring such a crowd. “I think it would be a huge achievement if we could get to a Munster final. It should be a target and see where you go from there. It’s very hard to target an All-Ireland when you’ve a load of games before you get there so I think if Cork could target getting to a Munster final, be competitive and just take it from there.”