Michael Ryan reflects on Cork’s season which ended in narrowly missing out on progression to the All-Ireland series.
Michael Ryan says the next 12 months are crucial for Pat Ryan and his Cork panel.
The Rebels won a lot of admirers this season but came up short on the final day of the Munster round-robin series.
“Cork will be very disappointed and people say Cork made progress but, if you look at the real maths of it, Cork qualified last year and came out of Munster,” says former Waterford boss Ryan.
“This year they didn’t. A little bit unlucky and they have a lot of players but, having said that Patrick Horgan is pushing on, so is Seamus Harnedy, and they have a couple of good young lads going through.
“What I like about Cork is they seem to be much more physical now, they’re not being pushed around, they’re up for the fight.
“There’s 650,000 people in Cork, now surely to God there’s always going to be 25 good hurlers there. And 25 good footballers and well, I just fail to under (how they don’t do better).
“I like Pat Ryan, he’s a good guy and he has got a bit extra out of them, but there’s a big 12 months coming up for them.
MUNSTER
- Round 1: April 23: Limerick 1-18 Waterford 0-19, FBD Semple Stadium; Tipperary 5-22
Clare 3-23, Ennis. - Round 2: April 29: Clare 1-24 Limerick 2-20 TUS Gaelic Grounds; April 30: Cork 0-27
Waterford 0-18, Pairc Ui Chaoimh. - Round 3: May 6: Cork 4-19 Tipperary 2-25, Pairc Ui Chaoimh; May 13: Clare 2-22
Waterford 0-16, FBD Semple Stadium. - Round 4: May 21: Clare 2-22 Cork 3-18, Ennis; Tipperary 0-25 Limerick 0-25, FBD Semple
Stadium. - Round 5: May 28: Limerick 3-25 Cork 1-30, TUS Gaelic Grounds; Waterford 1-24 Tipperary
0-21, FBD Semple Stadium. - Final: June 11: Limerick 1-23 Clare 1-22, TUS Gaelic Grounds
ALL-IRELAND CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Preliminary quarter-finals: June 17: Carlow v Dublin, Netwatch Cullen Park; Offaly v
Tipperary, Glenisk O’Connor Park. - Quarter-finals: June 24: Galway v Offaly/Tipperary; Clare v Carlow/Dublin.
- Semi-finals: July 8: Limerick v quarter-final winners; July 9; Kilkenny v quarter-final
winners. Both in Croke Park. - Final: July 23, Croke Park.
