CORK HURLING SELECTOR Wayne Sherlock recalls the day in Dundrum when then team captain Mark Landers conducted a video presentation that changed their season.
It was just before the 1999 Munster final, and Cork were facing a Clare team who had dumped them out of the championship the year before. The footage was intended to inspire a revenge mission in the players.
As the sides prepare to meet again in an All-Ireland final this weekend, Sherlock recalls the clips they saw that day and how it ultimately became the benchmark for their Liam MacCarthy success that year.
“I wasn’t involved in ’98 but Cork got a fair hammering off Clare. And I suppose it was similar to how it’s been with the present Cork team, with people questioning if we were able for it physically.
“We were a young team in ’99 and by reiterating what happened the year before, the idea from Landers was to show us what we needed to be prepared for and what Clare were going to bring in a Munster final.
“The message was that we weren’t going to let it happen two years in a row. Even though I wasn’t there in ’98, there was great motivation in seeing how Clare had bullied us and the way they took over that game. It definitely triggered something in that young group going into the game and we went out and won the Munster final after it.”
That 1999 team will be honoured with a jubilee ceremony in Croke Park on Sunday to mark the 25-year anniversary since their All-Ireland success. Manager Pat Ryan and selectors Sherlock and Brendan Coleman were all part of that ’99 outfit, meaning they will not be present for the event as they will be preparing for the 3.30pm throw-in. But if Cork get a favourable result against Clare, it’s hoped that a reunion with their old teammates will follow later in the evening.
“It’s something myself, Pat and Brendan are going to miss but that’s a great complaint to have. If things go well, we’ll see the lads afterwards because we’re staying in the same hotel. It would be class to meet up afterwards and share memories in that case. But it would be great to make new some new memories too.”
Cork are chasing a first All-Ireland title since 2005, narrowly losing out on victory after a gripping replay against Clare in 2013. Their 2021 final appearance was a comprehensive win for Limerick.
Sherlock insists that, despite the length of time since their last triumph, Cork are held to a standard which is measured by All-Ireland titles. That was Pat Ryan’s message to the team following his appointment in July of last year.
“Pat makes no bones about it and he told the players — the reason anyone plays senior for Cork is to win an All-Ireland.
“Whether you haven’t won one in 19 years or two years, the ambition is to win an All-Ireland. It’s not about free gear or claps on the back. Winning the All-Ireland is the aim above all other aims. And I think this team is really starting to believe in their ability to do that.
“Hopefully they’ll put in a performance against Clare that deserves an All-Ireland. But we’re all on the same wavelength. Pat has said from the start that this team needs to win something and we’re there to try and facilitate that.”
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