The engima that is Cork hurling

Cork aren't an enigma. They're just useless.

As anyone on the soccer forum could tell you, that particular poster lives in an alternate reality.

Cork can't defend properly. As a result, they rack up too many yellow cards, most of them nothing yellow cards, that come from poor defending technique.

Then one of them does something stupid, and gets a second yellow, and gets sent off.

It's been going on for years.

Tackle with the hurl, not the hand. Learn to flick/hook properly instead of just swinging the stick. Don't get sucked into a bunch in defence leaving two lads open, and then playing the arm to prevent a pass to a loose man. Don't put your hand on the back when tackling.

For all the talk of skill in Cork hurling, at the highest level the lack in basic awareness and skill in defences has cost Cork dearly in big games, arguably even an AI in 2017 (I reckon they've have done better against Galway than Waterford had they got past Waterford but a red card scuppered that).

Repeated soft yellow cards, which Cork tend to rack up more than anyone, is a symptom of poverty in defence. And poverty in defence won't win you anything.

That the same Limerick they beat a few weeks back?

Seems this thread went very quite when Cork started racking up the wins, beating the All-Ireland champions in the process. Disappearing act they all said! Disappearing act indeed, from most on here who wrongly predicted their demise. But us real hurling fans know, you can't keep hurlings traditional powerhouse down for too long.

You've Cork, a gap to KK and Tipp and then a gap to the rest. That's the natural order of things in hurling. And will soon be the case once more!

Don't hate the player and all that…

A sorer loser?

You forgot to mention people's republic.

But Kilkenny and Tipp were not a distance behind them historically, that's why they became known as the Big Three. Tipperary were ahead of them in AI titles prior to their famine of 71-89 (22-21, with Kilkenny on 17 at the time). It was only when Tipp had their famine that Cork came to the front on all things in Munster.

As for Cork failing leading to Kilkenny dominance in the 2000's, Kilkenny were the ones that ended Cork's great team of the 00's, who let's not forget was a team of all time greats that were going for three on the bounce. Kilkenny beat them in the final in 06, and the SF in '08 and '10. Cork were hardly push-over in those years, they were fading but still a formidable outfit that still had plenty of their great players available, but their decline was hastened by Kilkenny.

Even in Cork's decline in the last two decades, Kilkenny have gone half the length without winning an AI as Cork have currently, fail to win this year and it's Kilkenny's second longest senior famine (I think), and our underage has been a disaster. Hardly making the most of Cork not being around.

And let's not forget, Cork have almost double the population and number of clubs of Kilkenny and Tipp combined. In comparison, Cork have been well off those two in terms of making the most of their resources, Kilkenny in particular have punched way above their weight in comparison, and that hasn't just been in recent times. Hell, Cork had 6 AI titles on the board before Kilkenny won their first one, but that was nearly 120 years ago. It's been relatively close between the Big Three all the way up since then, historically speaking, the Big Three were as good as each other.

And even with Leinster being weak pre-back door, Kilkenny would still have to beat the best in Munster to win those AI titles, so that argument of handy Leinster titles is moot.

That's not to say Cork hurling doesn't have a magnificent and storied history that hurling fans everywhere can appreciate, of course it does, but Kilkenny and Tipp have very much been the equal of Cork historically, with Kilkenny having surpassed them a while now.

None of which changes the fact that Cork's current fluidity as a team is based not on hurling skill but on referees turning a blind eye to teams repeatedly breaking the steps rule and throwing the ball, which is the perfect scenario for the Cork running game.

Did you not know that cork folk have a specific hurling gene in their DNA……..only they can produce the truly gifted hurlers..😀

Celebration police out in force again i see.

Limerick had a pitch invasion after beating Cork at home in the round robin last year, didn't hear much fuss about it. As there shouldn't have been.

They also had a pitch invasion after beating Waterford at home in the round robin this year. Again, not a dickie bird.

If you can't celebrate winning a game that if you had lost you were out of the championship then the game truly is gone. Long may the munster hurling passion,by all counties, continue.

Hilarious.

I thought the Cork players were actually quite measured after the Limerick game. Fitzgibbon, Barrett, interviews - both satisfied with the win, the manner of it, but acknowledging still a lot to do and focussed already on the next game. On youtube if you want a refresher.

That to me tells me Cork will be winning, if not this year, certainly in the next 2 or 3 yrs.

Granted, yes, we have all seen over celebrations in sports but im not seeing it on this occasion.

So there was a point when Cork and Tipp were 21/22 All Irelands. That reflects even worse on KK. They came from the same provence, and were splitting provincial championships, lessening the opportunities for each other to go on and win All Irelands, and both still had more than KK. Put either of those into Leinster in place of KK, and either would of been up to 26/27 by that stage, KK on less than 17 if they were in Munster.

KK may still have had to face the best in Munster, but it's a once of game, if you come from Munster there's greater odds of losing by the law of averages, if you have to knock out 3 great teams on the bounce, as opposed to raising it for 1.

KK have had it handy for a long time, and really, if they came from Munster, would be on circa 22/23 All Irelands probably. They did topple Cork in the mid-00's, but by the end of the decade, a new cycle never came from Cork, that would usually happen, with internal issues. It gave KK a free run for a long time. Cork were never afforded a free run like that to rack up All Irelands, always had to do it the hard way coming from Munster. Tipp too. What Cork and Tipp have won carries more weight for me than what KK have, due to the provence they came from, and both, for much of history, were still ahead of KK. As I said, doesn't say much for KK!

So you're saying, Kilkenny' success came about because very often neither Cork or Tipp could manage two games in the one year? That's your argument. My god, there's delusion, then there's jus plain demented, and then there's whatever argument you're making.

And Kilkenny didn't have a free run after Cork. The best Tipp team since the 60's came around. There's an entire series of games between the two, league and championship, for the guts of over a decade since '08 to '19 that would need it's own wing in the pantheon of hurling's most epic games. Ignoring or playing down what that great Tipp team brought to hurling is an insult to hurling.

And while the weight of Munster might carry more for you, the history books, quite clearly, say otherwise. They're unconcerned with your opinion.

PS - The history books also show the standing of AI's as Kilkenny 36, Cork 30 and Tipp 28. Cork and Tipp had 6 each before Kilkenny won one. Since then it's Kilkenny 36, Cork/Tipp 46, which is not too far off both combined in the same time for Kilkenny. So an argument could be to say historically, since Kilkenny have started winning, it's taken the two strongest counties in Munster together to pass them, which would suggest historically since it became a bit three, it should really be a Big Two as in Kilkenny and Tipp/Cork. Now it would be a total bull5hit argument, but still much more sense than what you're attempting.

And again, none of which has anything to do with Cork getting better lately because the throw/steps game of today has helped them rather than any genuine skill. Limerick also run/throw, but Limerick have great all-round skill, particularly in the defensive side of things, which is why they've won so much compared to Cork. Though a few of Cork's younger players are showing some serious promise on the first touch/stick pass/striking as Horgan (who is a supreme stick man).