Cork striking in their pomp

Gaelic Games: In Semple Stadium the well tended turf has absorbed days like this before. Cork, resurgent, rampant, bursting into the summer in a manner which suggests they'll own everything by winter. Yesterday there was something irresistible about their dash, their confidence, their vivid red. Even the home of hurling bowed.

Clare had seen the local favourites off some weeks ago. Cork had watched that game, witnessed the demise of Tipperary and the near demented passion of Clare, and zipped their lips. This was as low-profile an approach as any team has managed in recent years. If Cork burst onto the field yesterday knowing what to expect of themselves they were the only ones who did.

Since 1999 and that daring annexation of the All-Ireland, Cork have been owing themselves a reprise. All too often though what looked like the dash of youth four summers ago has seemed like naivety since. They have been disjointed, unhappy and given to dark musings about whether that All-Ireland won in the youth of the team would be the solitary bauble they would look back on in retirement.

Yesterday they proved that they still have it. They gave evidence once again that Cork is Cork. There had been questions about their toughness and their heart. Yesterday they harried, hustled, hooked and blocked. They stood up to the toughest team in the game and made the space for themselves to hurl beautifully. Cork is Cork alright. Unique and unknowable and wholly unpredictable.

They finished the league with question marks about various positions, but it became clear yesterday that they knew the answers all along. Pat Mulcahy at full back was superb. Ronan Curran had a wonderful debut. Outside him Tom Kenny hurled almost impeccably and in the forwards Setanta Ó hAilpín made himself a favourite straight off.

How pumped, how keen were Cork? On eight minutes with Cork leading by two, Setanta absorbed multiple assaults about his person as he was tackled fore and aft. An Albanian soccer player would have rolled around until promised a state funeral. Setanta got to his feet, not gingerly, but like a jack-in-the-box unleashed, pumping his fists at all and sundry and Joe Deane prepared to punish Clare by slotting the free.

Setanta knew he and his mates had Clare rattled. Five minutes later they had them beaten. Joe Deane's goal will go down as one of the classics. Ben O'Connor soloing in through the Clare defence. About to be consumed by yellow and blue he spots Deane flying to his left. A flicked pass and Deane met it full on in his stride. The human eye could hardly absorb it. The sliotar flew back off what transpired to be the rear stanchion of the goal. The referee entered conclave with an umpire, who was confident of what he had seen. A goal it was. A wonder of the hurling world.

Minutes later Setanta wiggled his lanky frame through a thicket of Clare hands and hurls and struck a low shot from 21 yards. Only a magnificent save from Davey Fitz denied the youngster the second-best goal of the season. Clare were rattled. Cork were humming. 35,474 were on the edges of their seats.

The heroes were everywhere. Young John Gardiner in midfield, Wayne Sherlock at corner back, Ben O'Connor, and so on. For their part Clare struggled without Seanie McMahon in particular. The absence of David Hoey was a factor too. No serious team can subtract two starting half backs and prosper. Without the supply line Clare's forwards looked anaemic. Two points from the first half was a paltry return for a team who have the right to consider themselves contenders.

Cork roll on in triumph. The championship grows ever more unpredictable, the qualifying sector looking just as threatening as the provincial championships. There's been plenty of action but nobody is dead yet. Every team has a reason to get up and go to work next week. Cork have three weeks to prepare for Waterford. Donal O'Grady was already feigning trepidation. Waterford are a mountain to climb. Provincial champions.

"I wouldn't make us automatic favourites. We'll be playing the Munster champions. Waterford hurled very well against Limerick the first day and yesterday they had a bit of a stranglehold. I can't see us being favourites."

You looked in his eyes for signs that he really believes all that stuff. Cork being Cork you don't find any. Cork being Cork their own excellence is all that will worry them for now. They are the mountain.

The only caveat concerns what it will all mean for the GAA. The association thrives on trends. Some team runs up a hill and wins; the next year every team runs up hills. A team employs a sports psychologist and wins; the next season you can't get a sports psychologist for love or money.

Cork were impeccable and dashing yesterday. Next winter everyone will be on strike.