THE RUN TO the All-Ireland SHC final by Cork’s young hurlers has lifted the county, according to Ger Cunningham.
The selector and legendary former goalkeeper with the Rebels was on the sidelines as part of Jimmy Barry-Murphy’s backroom team on Sunday as Dublin were defeated by five points.
“We’re thrilled, it’s absolutely fantastic to be in an All-Ireland final,” he says. “From the relegation match on the 14 April, to turn around now and be in an All-Ireland final, means it’s been a phenomenal couple of months. Playing great hurling as well which has been a great boost.
He added: “We never spoke about the final at all. It’s just so difficult to get there. It’s about taking one match at a time, that’s always the way it’s been for us. You couldn’t look beyond Kilkenny and then when we beat them, the semi-final was wide open. Big challenge coming up to play Dublin on their home patch and their home ground. But in fairness I thought the Cork support was magnificent. When the players came out on the pitch today, the feeling and buzz was unbelievable. They were the 16th man.
“It’s been a lift for everybody. I think it’s lifted the city. That’s been the message that people were saying to us. It’s been fantastic. They’re following a new young team. We’re just thrilled.”
The Cork officials will now need to refocus their players in preparation for the All-Ireland decider against Limerick or Clare.
“We were here last year very disappointed where we’d got to a semi-final and lost,” says Cunningham. “We’ve got to the same situation this year getting to a semi-final and to make progress we needed to make the final. That was the drive for us. They were hurting after last year and I suppose it’s like the old saying, you need to lose one to win one.”
And who would the Rebels prefer to see emerge from the all-Munster semi-final on Sunday? ”No preference, we’ll sit back to enjoy and have the pressure off us.”
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