Fight to the finish

Seventy minutes. The measure sometimes eludes them. Cork's tendency to wander mentally manifested itself briefly in the League Final against Waterford and, more crucially, might have been their ruin against Limerick at the outset of this year's Championship.

The youthful squad is well aware of the tendency, said Diarmuid O'Sullivan, Cork's 19-year-old corner-back and captain.

"Yes, we gave away two stupid goals to Limerick at the end and, you know, had they put away the chances they created at the beginning of the second half, they could have taken us," O'Sullivan said. "It's something Jimmy is always warning us about and we learnt a valuable message that day."

O'Sullivan was a core member of last year's under-21 county side which had many players in whom Barry-Murphy decided to invest the future of Cork hurling. He was 12years-old back when Cork won their last All-Ireland title and has since observed, like the rest of Munster, Clare's resurgence. Last summer, he made his Championship debut in the corner of the defence as Cork fell to Clare by four points.

"I suppose it's a bit strange, seeing Clare come good after so many years of Tipp and Cork dominating," O'Sullivan said. "It was great for the game to see them come good in 1995 and they have proven themselves now."

While he believes that the pressure is, to some extent, off Cork after dismissing Limerick, the importance of this match to Cork hurling cannot be overstated.

"Well, a win and we are back in the All-Ireland series after a gap of six years. What that would do for Cork hurling? But we will have to approach this game so carefully, ensure that all the preparation is in place, so that we can give ourselves the opportunity of hurling to the level Clare have over the past few years."

O'Sullivan said he expects a miserly afternoon from both sets of backs and he believes the match might well be resolved at midfield.

"I suppose it might come down to getting the break at midfield and generating a bit of ball for the forwards," he said. "The forwards will just have to take what chances are there, because both teams have very strong backlines."

It is anticipated that O'Sullivan will again be asked to pay attention to Niall Gilligan, the Clare thoroughbred who has suffered a couple of forgettable afternoons under the Corkman's stewardship.

"Niall is a hurler that I have great respect for and when we met in the past, it was always a good, hard clean battle, never a dirty stroke pulled," he said. "He is a fine player, a great striker of the ball, which is something I enjoy myself and from that point of view, I am really looking forward to Sunday."

Nineteen is a tender age to be handed the captaincy of a county with one of the country's most towering hurling reputations. It came about through the victory of the divisional side, Imokilly, in the Cork Senior Championship.

"It's traditional to it give to a player on the winning team," O'Sullivan said. "There were about 12 other lads who could have got it as easily as me."

But they didn't. Barry-Murphy has often hinted at the teenager's leadership qualities, something the player accepts modestly.

"Being captain of Cork is an honour, of course. And I suppose any captain is meant to show leadership. If I do that on the field, fine. I'm the kind of player who likes to keep to himself on the field. If I do lead by example, all the better.

"But it doesn't place any added pressure on you. The pressure is keeping your place. There are a lot of lads hungry for places and when you're going for a spot, it doesn't matter if you are captain or not."

It is apt that he is captain because he is so representative of Cork hurling at present. At half-time in the Limerick game, it was feared that the Cork fullback line was beginning to dissolve under pressure. O'Sullivan, playing in the corner, hauled Cork forward with a blinding spell of irrepressible, surging clearances. In the stands, they cheered new blood like it was the old days.