In the wake of the collapse against Galway, Keith Duggan takes in the views of two Cork hurling legends on what has gone wrong since 1999

Last Sunday evening splashed in golden perfection across Thurles. At the railway station, it was mostly Cork supporters that awaited the trains back to the capital and to Dublin also. They travel wonderfully, the Corkonians, with Turkish flags mixing with Russian scythes and even a few Confederate flags still in the mix. Sunday was a draining experience, however, with a near total eclipse of the county's GAA stock.

The footballers got a reprieve and are expected to escape Tipperary's clutches this weekend but it was the fall of the hurlers that dominated the talk. After the way Galway left them for dead, 1999 seemed a lot more distant than a mere three years.

"If you chart the development of that team," says former Cork captain Tomás Mulcahy, "it is apparent that they won an All-Ireland probably a year before they were expected to. Then the following year, they narrowly lost what I consider to be a classic semi-final when a fine Offaly side gave their last magnificent performance.

"Jimmy Barry Murphy left then feeling that he had taken the team far enough.

"Now since that time, the team hasn't changed greatly but enough to alter the balance. And this year, they lost by the narrowest of margins against Waterford early on. Had they won, it was straight to a Munster final and all would have been rosy. But now there is talk of a crisis. I don't think there is a crisis but it goes to show you the fine line."

In an article in the Evening Echo this week, John Fenton, a contemporary of Mulcahy's, emphasised what he believes is a fundamental and unnecessary change in the style of game Cork practice. Directness and first-time striking has been sidelined for more individual, possession play.

"That would be my reading of it. Some counties were traditionally good at a more possession-oriented game but certainly when I was developing as a hurler, your first thought was to strike it. Move the ball on. You only ran if there was no other option and even then, it was direct.

"Canon Bertie Troy, Canon O'Brien, Johnny Clifford, the whole way along, that was the message. I just see less of that now, with players running angles and trying to lift the ball under pressure. That's not to say we never picked the ball up and ran. Sure I remember Mulcahy got a goal in the All-Ireland of 1986 and they said he took 10 or 11 steps!

"But seriously, it was strong, direct running. Now I don't know if the coaching is different but Jimmy Barry, Tom Cashman and Bertie Óg Murphy were all coached in the same way so I would find it hard to believe. But it is a trend that is creeping into the game."

The hurt and perhaps bewilderment was evident on the face of Murphy in the aftermath of the tame 0-21 to 1-9 loss to Galway. A profoundly decent man, he faces a challenging second term as Cork manager now. But despite the doomsday scenarios, the probability is that the nucleus of what remains a very young squad can rebound from this.

"They were always a feted group. They won an under-21 title that was famous because it gave Cork its 100th All-Ireland and there was a big to-do about that. Then followed 1999 which maybe took the edge off them. Success came early and maybe had they been forced to work harder for that first senior All-Ireland, they would have appreciated it more," reckons Fenton.

"But there is no doubt that the talent is still there and it is just a matter of rediscovering the ability to put teams away. It's difficult to say why they lost it but that can happen sides. Things just go against you and it is hard then to get your flow back. But they can do it."

THE sad and premature retirement of Brian Corcoran did leave an inestimable void in the heart of the Cork defence, with John Browne temporarily stepping in before the selectors settled on teenage prodigy John Gardiner. Midfield has also proven a troublesome spot, while Diarmuid O'Sullivan's dual commitments have prompted the somewhat begrudging observations that he is not the indomitable force that he was at the close of the century. But these are all, relatively speaking, minor elements.

Mulcahy is more concerned about the evident decline in coaching in schools across Cork and believes the GAA needs to redress that decline. He also cites the relatively lacklustre local championship as a greater cause for worry than a few seasons without an All-Ireland final appearance.

"Someone made a valid point to me the other day - if the Cork county championship is sidelined for the duration that the Cork hurlers are in the All-Ireland, how can the selectors truly see who is fit to make an impact. The club scene is suffering, with club teams growing disillusioned and extra pressure then on the lads who play for the county."

Fenton played for the Midleton club that last won a Munster club championship in 1987. They followed up with an All-Ireland win the following March. But since then, Cork sides have made little impact on the parish frontier.

"Blackrock got to a Munster final last year and got beaten by Ballygunnar. We need a team to go on and win a Munster title and that will increase the competitive edge within the county. There was a time when Cork clubs dominated the club competition but now they seem happy just to win the county. That has an effect of blunting players. The talk of crisis is melodramatic at present but I would be anxious that unless the club scene improves that the game will be in trouble."

The one benefit of the early exit from the All-Ireland is that it gives, as Mulcahy sees it, the club competition an opportunity to shine again.

"They can run it off in the summer now and it gives the management the chance to look and see what is out there. We probably need a few more options in certain areas and come back fresh for next year."

It will require the one prerequisite that can be a rarity in Cork, patience. Cork people travel wonderfully but don't like waiting on platforms, especially for a losing train. They have been bred on the opposite and will return next year more expectant than ever.