Kilkenny operated, as Tyrrell
termed it “like a crazed
army” during most of their
crusade but destroying Cork
provided the ultimate high.
It was always obvious that
both counties had travelled
in different directions after
the 2002 league final, when
half the Cork team followed
through on an agreed protest
beforehand, while Andy
Comerford was the only
Kilkenny player to do so.
As Cork led the charge
towards a better welfare state
for all players, Kilkenny just
focused on themselves. Cork
clearly didn’t like Kilkenny,
and their attitude. In his
book, Donal Óg Cusack called
Kilkenny ‘The Stepford Wives’.
The term refers to a thriller
satirical novel, the story based
around a young mother who
begins to suspect that the
frighteningly submissive
housewives in her new idyllic
Connecticut neighbourhood
may be robots created by their
husbands.Kilkenny had a beef with most
counties but when they got
a chance to stick it to Cork,
especially after Cusack’s
comments, they gave it to
them harder than anyone else.Cork had been on top for two
years in the middle of the last
decade but once Kilkenny took
over after 2006, they made
it their business to keep Cork
down. “When we met Cork in
the 2008 All-Ireland semi-
final, we didn’t just want to
beat them,” wrote Tyrrell. “We
wanted to set them back for a
decade.”Kilkenny buried that great
Cork team. Cork did exact
some manner of revenge when
defeating Kilkenny in the 2013
All-Ireland quarter-final but a
decade on from Kilkenny’s desire
to set Cork back for a decade, it
is interesting to reflect on the
legacy that time left.In the 13 seasons since the
2006 All-Ireland final Cork and
Kilkenny have met 15 times
in league and championship;
Kilkenny have won 11 of2009; CORK ‘KEEPER
DONAL ÓG CUSACK