WINNING AN ALL-IRELAND would be the ultimate for Damien Cahalane but he says he wouldn’t trade in his three Munster medals for the Liam MacCarthy Cup.
Cork hurling is entering its longest-ever All-Ireland drought with 17 seasons come and gone without a Celtic cross to show for their efforts. But Cahalane believes the county’s mix of experience – exemplified by the returning Patrick Horgan – and youth from drought-quenching minor and U20 All-Irelands can slake the Rebels’ thirst for silverware.
But he warns from experience that blend brings no guarantees.
“It’s great. They’re coming in and they’re bringing a massive amount and array of talent. But talent doesn’t guarantee you anything, it’s about how you apply it and the work that you put into it,” says Cahalane.
“For those of us that are there a good while, and have been through the ups and downs of it, we’ll do our best to guide them, but they’re going to have their own unique skill-set that they’re going to want to impose on it.
“We’ll get that bit of youthful exuberance out of them and they might get the little bit of guidance or the little bit of experience off the older guys.
Damien Cahalane walks off after Cork's 2022 All-Ireland quarter-final loss to Galway. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
“It’s an exciting time to be in the group because of the two different demographics and the dynamic that’s there so looking forward to going back training and getting back to work with the fellas.”
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Cahalane returned to Cork training in the past week after his extended club campaign with St Finbarr’s hurlers and Castlehaven’s footballers.
At 30, and in his 11th year of senior inter-county involvement, he isn’t feeling like an elder statesman just yet.
“The younger fellas coming through make you feel younger. As you get older, that little bit of fun, not that it goes, but it becomes very serious whereas the youth have that bit of exuberance and that bit of fun about them that brings you back down to their level a small bit, which is refreshing.”
Would he like to have won more in his 10 years with Cork?
“Yeah, no bones about it, every competition that you go out to play you’re going out to win it be it the Munster Senior League or the National League or the Munster Championship or the All-Ireland Championship. You’re going out to win every single one of them.
“It doesn’t always work out. The path that my career has taken me on, I can’t really say that I’d do anything differently.
Damien Cahalane with Mark Rodgers (Clare), Nickie Quaid (Limerick), Ronan Maher (Tipperary), Cáthrach Daly (Waterford), and Michael Leane (Kerry) at the launch of the 2023 Co-Op Superstores Munster Hurling League.
“Myself and other guys that are there, we’ve done everything to the best of our ability and our ability and preparation has taken us this far.
“Three Munster medals isn’t any mean feat either, and I wouldn’t swap them for anything.
“I would have liked to have won more but it’s easy to say that. Your career takes you on the path it takes you on and that bit of experience, I hope, will serve me well going forward.”
There’s still that expectation playing in the blood and bandage. There always was and always will be.
“Traditionally, when I was growing up, Cork would nearly always have been one of the favourites to win nearly any competition that they were entered in. I suppose over the years, for a variety of different reasons, it hasn’t worked that way for us coming through.
“We’ve made a couple of finals, won a couple of Munster Championships. That’s what we have to show for it.
“But look, it hasn’t been for the want of preparation either, we’ve come against exceptionally good sides. Maybe other years we weren’t as good as previous Cork teams and there’s just times like that as well.
“There’s definitely an expectation but it’s something that you have to use as well, to fuel yourself to prepare to go out and try to succeed. It can’t be something that you let it shrink into yourself, you have to grow into that as well.”
As for the return of record-breaking shooter Horgan, Cahalane believes the Glen Rovers stickman could play on until he’s 40.
“That’s a massive positive. The guy could stay playing for another five years. He’s a guy that keeps himself so well, he’s like a guy in his 20s.
“He still has that massive love for the game that never dwindled or never went. I’d say he’ll play hurling for Cork as long as he wants to play hurling for Cork.”
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‘Patrick Horgan will play hurling for Cork as long as he wants to play hurling for Cork’
LAST UPDATE | 21 Dec 2022
WINNING AN ALL-IRELAND would be the ultimate for Damien Cahalane but he says he wouldn’t trade in his three Munster medals for the Liam MacCarthy Cup.
Cork hurling is entering its longest-ever All-Ireland drought with 17 seasons come and gone without a Celtic cross to show for their efforts. But Cahalane believes the county’s mix of experience – exemplified by the returning Patrick Horgan – and youth from drought-quenching minor and U20 All-Irelands can slake the Rebels’ thirst for silverware.
But he warns from experience that blend brings no guarantees.
“It’s great. They’re coming in and they’re bringing a massive amount and array of talent. But talent doesn’t guarantee you anything, it’s about how you apply it and the work that you put into it,” says Cahalane.
“For those of us that are there a good while, and have been through the ups and downs of it, we’ll do our best to guide them, but they’re going to have their own unique skill-set that they’re going to want to impose on it.
“We’ll get that bit of youthful exuberance out of them and they might get the little bit of guidance or the little bit of experience off the older guys.
“It’s an exciting time to be in the group because of the two different demographics and the dynamic that’s there so looking forward to going back training and getting back to work with the fellas.”
Cahalane returned to Cork training in the past week after his extended club campaign with St Finbarr’s hurlers and Castlehaven’s footballers.
At 30, and in his 11th year of senior inter-county involvement, he isn’t feeling like an elder statesman just yet.
“The younger fellas coming through make you feel younger. As you get older, that little bit of fun, not that it goes, but it becomes very serious whereas the youth have that bit of exuberance and that bit of fun about them that brings you back down to their level a small bit, which is refreshing.”
Would he like to have won more in his 10 years with Cork?
“Yeah, no bones about it, every competition that you go out to play you’re going out to win it be it the Munster Senior League or the National League or the Munster Championship or the All-Ireland Championship. You’re going out to win every single one of them.
“It doesn’t always work out. The path that my career has taken me on, I can’t really say that I’d do anything differently.
“Myself and other guys that are there, we’ve done everything to the best of our ability and our ability and preparation has taken us this far.
“Three Munster medals isn’t any mean feat either, and I wouldn’t swap them for anything.
“I would have liked to have won more but it’s easy to say that. Your career takes you on the path it takes you on and that bit of experience, I hope, will serve me well going forward.”
There’s still that expectation playing in the blood and bandage. There always was and always will be.
“Traditionally, when I was growing up, Cork would nearly always have been one of the favourites to win nearly any competition that they were entered in. I suppose over the years, for a variety of different reasons, it hasn’t worked that way for us coming through.
“We’ve made a couple of finals, won a couple of Munster Championships. That’s what we have to show for it.
“But look, it hasn’t been for the want of preparation either, we’ve come against exceptionally good sides. Maybe other years we weren’t as good as previous Cork teams and there’s just times like that as well.
“There’s definitely an expectation but it’s something that you have to use as well, to fuel yourself to prepare to go out and try to succeed. It can’t be something that you let it shrink into yourself, you have to grow into that as well.”
As for the return of record-breaking shooter Horgan, Cahalane believes the Glen Rovers stickman could play on until he’s 40.
“That’s a massive positive. The guy could stay playing for another five years. He’s a guy that keeps himself so well, he’s like a guy in his 20s.
“He still has that massive love for the game that never dwindled or never went. I’d say he’ll play hurling for Cork as long as he wants to play hurling for Cork.”
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Cork Cork GAA Damien Cahalane GAA Hurling