Speed is King

Who could have predicted a final pairing of Cork and Clare at the start of this year or even after the relegation final? It just shows how competitive this year’s league was when the All Ireland Final mirrors the relegation battle last April. Both teams have improved with each outing this year and we have a great final to look forward to, the first ever meeting of Cork and Clare on the biggest day.

It is interesting to go back to April and ask ourselves why these two teams were in the relegation battle and what has changed in a couple of months? The answer to this is simple, Speed. Our physical trainer back in the mid 2000’s Seanie McGrath always used his mantra on us during training and we’d often hear him shouting at us “Speed is King”. Now this was true back in our day but speed is becoming more and more important in the modern game with the movement of forwards and the way players and managements use possession. In my opinion you only have to look at the players on each team to see why they struggled in the league and prospered in the championship. You have the likes of Tony Kelly, Conor McGrath and Podge Collins on the Clare side and Luke O Farrell , Conor Lehane and Jamie Coughlan from Cork who are all speed merchants along with a dozen or so more. These players are made for summer hurling when the sod dries up and the pace of the game is at full flow. They would tend to struggle in more wintery conditions with strength and stamina more important for that type of hurling.

Two years ago I retired from inter county hurling for this very reason, I knew there was no way I could keep up with the pace of the young players in the game today and the way the game is now played. The game has been changing for a while into a more possession type game where having the ball in hand is more important than where the ball is on the pitch. From my own perspective playing as a centre back there was a time when judging the play was of paramount importance and if you didn’t have the pace you could get away with it by judging where the ball should arrive. Nowadays if you leave your man for a second the chances are the opposition will find him with a clever short pass and you will be in trouble. This is why it is now a young man’s game and its going to get harder and harder for the older lads whose pace is dwindling to survive as an inter county hurler. It’s not surprising to me that the two surviving Cork players from our All-Ireland wins are Tom Kenny and Brian Murphy and it’s for that very reason. Back in our day the lads had amazing speed and maybe it has come back a bit but these two are still fast enough to keep up in a game that’s getting faster and faster.

From a Cork point of view it’s been a great year and the players and management have done wonders to get us back to where we belong. We have gone from doom and gloom in April to within 70 minutes of lifting the Liam McCarthy Cup. I have been at our four championship games and the players have stood up and were counted but the management must take great credit in getting us there. Between the two great Barr’s men JBM and Ger Cunningham and the rest of the selection committee they have got it spot on. The attitude of the players is brilliant, they are chasing down every ball, harassing in the forwards, hooking and blocking in the backs and the general tempo and energy is top notch. Also the movement of the forwards is amazing, they are all over the place from number ten to fifteen. I was trying to make out who was playing where for the Dublin game but every time I tried to make it out they were in different positions again. Movement is key in the forward line and the lads all seem to be on the same page, a credit to the management.

The players themselves have been outstanding. Seamus Harnedy is turning out to be a real gem out of nowhere. I watched him a few times in the Fitzgibbon and in challenge games this year and wasn’t sure if he would be able for inter county hurling. He’s proved me wrong and more, he’s very energetic, great movement and a good ball winner to complement Pa Cronin and to take the load of him in the aerial stakes. I’ve been a big admirer of Daniel Kearney for a few years and he has come on leaps and bounds again this year. Brilliant on the breaking ball and energy to burn but most of all he gives great ball into the forwards which sets up attack after attack. Hoggy is Hoggy, we all know how good he is and with ball in hand he is close to unstoppable, we just needed to get the ball to him more. He’s having a great year and a lot of this is due to playing him in his correct position at last – full forward. In my opinion he was playing out of position for years in the corner where he struggles with the pace needed for that position but Hoggy thrives on breaks and picking up loose ball which is more frequent in central positions. JBM made a big call dropping Donal Og this year and there was big pressure on Antony Nash to produce again and he has. Only one goal conceded and a host of points from play, he is possibly having a better year than his all star debut season last year.

In fact all twenty plus players have been hurling well this year and hopefully will continue that in the final but one man I want to single out is Shane O Neill. Shane came onto the panel in 2006 with us and it was clear from day one he was going to be a great player. He was a class act for a few years and played brilliantly at corner back. For the last few years however he has been suffering with niggling injuries to the ankle and hamstrings and it took away from his play a bit. This year he is fully fit and having the year of his life. Fast, strong and brilliant on the ball he has been put on the oppositions best man every time and had stormers in all four games. I have played with some great defenders over the years but his performances this year have been up there with the best I’ve seen. He is our leader at the back and without a doubt Cork’s leading contender for hurler of the year.

In saying that about Cork they will be up against a Clare side with speed to burn and hurling to match. They are fit and playing to a game plan that they believe in. It might not be pretty to watch but it is effective and it does win games. They have a man on the line in Davy Fitz that may seem half mad to most but I know the man well and he is a shrewd hurling man and knows every part of the game inside out. In my opinion he is great for the game of hurling as you need characters in the game, fella’s who will liven up the day out or do something others wouldn’t. It might be a lot more boring if we all did the same thing over and over but with Davy you never know.

Cork will certainly have to watch Kelly , Collins and McGrath up front and fight for every ball in the half forward line against top class hurlers like O Connor , Bugler and Donnellan. Cork will also have to come up with a plan how to counteract this seven man backline of Clare which seems to be hard to breakdown, a major mission for the management team. Who will win? It’s too close to call at the moment with the possibility of injuries and form going into the final and indeed how the players react to playing on the biggest stage of all. There is only one definite winner on the day and that’s Speed and the new way forward for the game of hurling.
Ronan Curran