CORK DEFENDER Stephen McDonnell says he wouldn’t be surprised if veteran duo Brian Murphy and Tom Kenny retired.
Versatile Grenagh clubman Kenny is the oldest member of the Cork squad at 32 while defender Murphy is 31.
Both featured in the All-Ireland hurling final replay defeat to Clare with two-time medallist Kenny appearing as a second-half substitute.
“It’s not for me to say but obviously Brian Murphy and Tom Kenny have been around a long while,” said McDonnell. “It would be no surprise if they didn’t come back next year.
“Fair play to them for staying around this long anyway. Other than that, age wouldn’t be an issue in the panel. But, you know, come 24, a fella can take a year off or anything. Who knows what will happen.”
At 27, full-back Shane O’Neill has time on his side to bounce back from his own personal difficulties at the hands of Clare’s Shane O’Donnell who bagged a stunning 3-3.
Corner-back McDonnell admitted he was surprised to see O’Donnell drafted into Clare’s full-forward line at the expense of Darach Honan.
“I was surprised because he (Honan) is obviously a very good player,” continued McDonnell. “I didn’t think they’d drop him. Shane O’Donnell is good as well. But Shane O’Neill is well able to adapt to whoever he’s playing so when I saw O’Donnell, I said, ‘Grand, Shane will be fine’. That was the least of my worries, to be honest, about Shane O’Donnell.”
Despite leaking three early goals to O’Donnell, Cork fought back to level terms twice in the second-half.
“We couldn’t get in front,” reflected McDonnell. “If you look up at the score board and see yourself a point up, it does two things; it gives you more confidence to kick on and it puts the seed of doubt in their heads. We were always a point down or whatever.”
The 24-year-old Glen Rovers club man is optimistic that Cork can push on next year. But he predicts that the Munster championship will be extremely competitive, let alone the All-Ireland series.
“That’s something that’s kind of stirring around the place since the game, that the Munster championship next year will be very, very good,” said McDonnell. “I mean Waterford are probably outsiders but they could beat any one of us.”
McDonnell said Cork believe they can ultimately win an All-Ireland but accepts others probably feel the same.
“There’s an All-Ireland in this team the same way there’s an All-Ireland in Kilkenny’s team, in Tipperary’s team, Clare’s team, Limerick, any of us can win it,” he said.
They owe us nothing. Whatever the decision good luck to them.
I hear the hurling referee association have been given an all expenses weekend in cork by the cork GAA as a way of thanking them for getting them as far as an all Ireland final.
@Nelly
Your trolling is so predictable at this stage that it is childish and pathetic, a bit like yourself I’d imagine.
Nope not really mike.make sure and show the referees a good time now.they might get you to a final again next year
Well done lads. We’ll be back. No shame losing to a great clare side. Senior county championship back this weekend so most of the lads will be back in action
@nelly give it a break it got old sometime in August.
Alright Alan will do.
Please do nelly because for genuine fans like myself you absolutely ruin articles with your nonsense. Hats off to to Stevie he had a stormer in the final. A fellow “norrie”…..just a shame he’s a Glen man :-)
Nelly we obviously didn’t give them enough because Clare are all Ireland champions. Your remark only takes from Clares win & I think it shows a lack of respect for the champion’s. Clare beat us fair & square & only Cork could have brought that level of hurling out in the champion’s. Even Davy Fitz remarked on corks abilities.
So it must be true,if Davy said it.
Well he did manage his team to an all Ireland so he probably knows a thing or two about hurling
Yawn
Look at Davys record with under age hurling. He might be a nut job in the eyes of some. The man is a shrewd operator who lives and dies for hurling and that Clare team. Well repected by many.
What is his record for underage hurling?
Cork really need to find a killer full back like diarmuid o sullivan was in his pomp