FORMER CORK CAPTAIN Pat Mulcahy believes that the Rebels have fallen “ten years behind” hurling’s top counties.
Mulcahy, coach of the Cork IT Fitzgibbon Cup team, insists that there’s a “major problem” on Leeside following the senior team’s exit from the All-Ireland series against Galwaylast Sunday.
The Newtownshandrum clubman says that a number of questions need to be answered by Leeside top brass.
“The big focus now is on development squads but the question is why are we ten years behind?” said the two-time All-Ireland senior medallist.
“Why have we not produced? Those are questions I would like to see answered.
“Donal Og Cusack has some very valid points but I don’t know if development squads will answer those questions.
“This year is the first year that the minors had a product from development squads at U14, U15 and U16 and the Cork county board has been championing that quite a bit but why didn’t we have this a decade ago?
“Cork have always been strong traditionally but why aren’t we at the cutting edge now?
“We have over 240 clubs in the county, Limerick have somewhere in the region of 80 and Clare have 60 so why are we so far behind given the size of the county?
“I was at the Cork-Limerick minor match (Munster semi-final) and while we were unlucky, we can’t be unlucky every year.
“Looking at the stats of the last number of years (as presented by Cusack on The Sunday Game) doesn’t reflect well.
“We won a pile of Munster minor championships between 1964 and 1977 (eleven in total with six All-Irelands) and a a result we won three-in-row All-Ireland senior titles in the late 70s.
“We also won All-Ireland minortitles in 1995, 1998 and 2001 and that led to a senior title in ’99 and four All-Ireland finals from 2003-2006.
“Success at senior level follows on if you look at the history books.”
