ROBERT DOWNEY SAYS that Cork don’t have any Croke Park hang-ups, describing the ground as his “favourite place to play”.
The centre-back equally doesn’t feel the Rebels are weighed down by any scar tissue from heavy defeats to Tipperary and Galway, which ended their All-Ireland hopes in the past two seasons.
“I love it. Our Cork team have probably played some of our best hurling up there,” says Downey.
“The All-Ireland semi-final in 2024 and the All-Ireland final in 2024, I know we didn’t get out the right side of it, but we played brilliantly, and the Dublin game as well.
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“Sometimes people like to hang on to the negatives, but as a team and individually, I love it. It’s my favourite place to play and why wouldn’t it be?”
He also doesn’t believe that the crushing disappointment of 2025 had any influence over their similar 2026 exit.
“There’s probably a bigger deal made of that from the outside than there is on the inside. We wouldn’t feel any sense of scar tissue,” says Downey.
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“There’s so many things going on in a hurling match, you’ve so many things to concentrate on, there’s so much to do leading into the games in terms of training and getting yourself right with your preparation and stuff like that, you don’t have time to think about any of those things.”
Downey feels that those season-ending double-digit defeats owe to the difficulty in wrestling momentum back.
“When the momentum went against us, we found it hard to pull it back,” he says.
Robert Downey of Glen Rovers at the launch of the championship season with Clubber. Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
“We’ve done plenty of work with sports psychologists over the years and when things like that are happening, you’ll have your own cues or triggers and stuff that you might use individually to pull yourself back into the game if you’re feeling you’re not in the game or if you’re drifting or whatever it may be.
“We definitely have used lots of those things, but when a team does get a run on you, it still can be hard to pull it back.”
Downey feels that Cork were well set for the tactical challenge presented by Galway in this year’s semi-final.
“We did expect it. We had prepared for it as well, to be fair.
“We actually played quite well in the first half. It was just when Galway came out in the second half and got that run on us with a couple of points, the crowd really got in behind them. We had a few wides and a few things went against us as well. We just found it hard to pull it back.
“But no, we did expect them to line out the way they did, and look, in fairness to them, hats off, they’re very, very good at it.”
Linked to that issue of momentum, in the Munster final and All-Ireland semi, Cork didn’t see out the first half, letting Limerick and Galway close the interval deficit with a string of points.
“That’s definitely something we will be disappointed with. The period coming into half-time and allowing the team back into the game and giving them a bit of hope as well,” says Downey.
As for the WhatsApp rumours circling after the conclusion of those campaigns, Downey can only laugh.
“It seems to be a Cork thing alright at the moment, just with all the rumours.
“It doesn’t really bother us. Maybe when I was a bit younger, I would have taken it more to heart.
“To be honest with you, some of the rumours going around are actually quite funny, so I just leave them roll off you.
“I don’t know who’s coming up with them or where they’re starting, but I’d be questioning the people who actually believe them.
“It doesn’t bother me anyway and I know it doesn’t bother the guys on the team as well. We just drive on with what we have to do.”
- Robert Downey was speaking at a Clubber media event. The streaming platform is covering live championship matches for 15 county boards this season, with over 2,000 live matches set to be streamed this year.
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Downey dismisses any notion of Croke Park hang-ups, laughs off WhatsApp rumours
ROBERT DOWNEY SAYS that Cork don’t have any Croke Park hang-ups, describing the ground as his “favourite place to play”.
The centre-back equally doesn’t feel the Rebels are weighed down by any scar tissue from heavy defeats to Tipperary and Galway, which ended their All-Ireland hopes in the past two seasons.
“I love it. Our Cork team have probably played some of our best hurling up there,” says Downey.
“The All-Ireland semi-final in 2024 and the All-Ireland final in 2024, I know we didn’t get out the right side of it, but we played brilliantly, and the Dublin game as well.
“Sometimes people like to hang on to the negatives, but as a team and individually, I love it. It’s my favourite place to play and why wouldn’t it be?”
He also doesn’t believe that the crushing disappointment of 2025 had any influence over their similar 2026 exit.
“There’s probably a bigger deal made of that from the outside than there is on the inside. We wouldn’t feel any sense of scar tissue,” says Downey.
“There’s so many things going on in a hurling match, you’ve so many things to concentrate on, there’s so much to do leading into the games in terms of training and getting yourself right with your preparation and stuff like that, you don’t have time to think about any of those things.”
Downey feels that those season-ending double-digit defeats owe to the difficulty in wrestling momentum back.
“When the momentum went against us, we found it hard to pull it back,” he says.
“We’ve done plenty of work with sports psychologists over the years and when things like that are happening, you’ll have your own cues or triggers and stuff that you might use individually to pull yourself back into the game if you’re feeling you’re not in the game or if you’re drifting or whatever it may be.
Downey feels that Cork were well set for the tactical challenge presented by Galway in this year’s semi-final.
“We did expect it. We had prepared for it as well, to be fair.
“We actually played quite well in the first half. It was just when Galway came out in the second half and got that run on us with a couple of points, the crowd really got in behind them. We had a few wides and a few things went against us as well. We just found it hard to pull it back.
“But no, we did expect them to line out the way they did, and look, in fairness to them, hats off, they’re very, very good at it.”
Linked to that issue of momentum, in the Munster final and All-Ireland semi, Cork didn’t see out the first half, letting Limerick and Galway close the interval deficit with a string of points.
“That’s definitely something we will be disappointed with. The period coming into half-time and allowing the team back into the game and giving them a bit of hope as well,” says Downey.
As for the WhatsApp rumours circling after the conclusion of those campaigns, Downey can only laugh.
“It doesn’t really bother us. Maybe when I was a bit younger, I would have taken it more to heart.
“To be honest with you, some of the rumours going around are actually quite funny, so I just leave them roll off you.
“I don’t know who’s coming up with them or where they’re starting, but I’d be questioning the people who actually believe them.
“It doesn’t bother me anyway and I know it doesn’t bother the guys on the team as well. We just drive on with what we have to do.”
- Robert Downey was speaking at a Clubber media event. The streaming platform is covering live championship matches for 15 county boards this season, with over 2,000 live matches set to be streamed this year.
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Cork GAA Cork hurling GAA Hurling Rebels Robert Downey