GAA Match Programmes – July 14, 2019

those games, Cork just four. In
their history Cork have never
suffered a more difficult 10-
year period against one of their
oldest rivals.

The players have changed but
Kilkenny have still continued to
beat Cork. When a young Cork
team was coming under Jimmy
Barry-Murphy in 2012, Kilkenny
ruthlessly put them down in
that year’s league final. A year
later in Nowlan Park, Cork led by
three points after 50 minutes
and were out-scored 0-9 to 0-
in the next 20 minutes.

For the opening round of the
2015 League, Kilkenny arrived
in Páirc Uí Rinn without 13 of
their All-Ireland winning panel
and still beat a strong Cork
team. A year later Cork were
the better side in Páirc Uí Rinn
but even though they led by
five points with ten minutes

remaining, they still lost. In

their 2017 league meeting,

Cork were outscored 0-11 to

0-5 in the second half.

Under Brian Cody, Kilkenny

never take their foot off the gas,

in any competition, whereas

there were plenty of times

when Cork looked like they

could take or leave the league.

Cork were impressive when

beating Kilkenny in the opening

round of the 2018 league but

that evening demanded a

performance because it was

Cork’s first time playing in front

of their own supporters in the

new Páirc Ui Chaoimh.

Yet when the sides met in this

year’s league in Nowlan Park

in January, Cork looked like

a side not too bothered with

the outcome. Cork didn’t have

their strongest team out but

Kilkenny were down as many

big names, including Cillian

Buckley and Pádraig Walsh,

along with their Ballyhale

Shamrocks contingent. The

sides haven’t met in the

championship for six years now

but, even though Cork won

that match, the conditions are

vastly different to what they

were during most of that time;

Kilkenny are no longer the

all-conquering and terrorising

force of old.

Time and circumstance have

diluted the bad blood between

the counties. Of the Cork

players who suffered badly at

the hands of Kilkenny in the

2008 and 2010 All-Ireland

semi-finals, only Eoin Cadogan,

Patrick Horgan and Anthony

Nash are still involved. The same

anger and desire for retribution

is no longer as prevalent but

those three players won’t be

slow in reminding their team-

mates of the bad times. It may

only have been the league but

most of the current crew also

know what it’s like to struggle to

beat Kilkenny.

And today will be another one

of those afternoons when

Cork will now be trying to

stick it to Kilkenny.