'Traditionalists will say that this is the game we want to see'

CORK v ANTRIM REACTION:THE HONOUR of playing Kilkenny is a dubious one. As Denis Walsh made it clear, the gravity of the task facing Cork was the subject of conversation in their dressingroom immediately after this match.

After the absorbing and draining games against Waterford, this was a gentler task: a straightforward win on a sleepy, heavy afternoon at headquarters. The match was so low key that it was hard to imagine the ferocious charge that will fill Croke Park when Cork return here.

“Well, it is a huge challenge,” said Walsh.

“It is a once-off as far as we are concerned. I just said to the lads this is where we want to be. Cork and Kilkenny go back as long as the GAA is going. And the traditionalists will say that this is the game we want to see. People will say that we know how good Kilkenny are. The other question is: how good exactly are Cork? Or are they below the required level. Well. We are going to find that out. That is what my players are focusing on. We are going to find out in two weeks’ time.”

The Cork man was understandably reticent about analysing his team’s performance against Antrim. It was what it was: a passage through.

“We are exactly where we want to be. The fact that we played two tough games meant that we were physically and mentally tired. We just trained once this week. It was very warm out there and the game was physical and we took some very good scores but I suppose we lacked that bit of intensity to keep pushing. Whether we are not able to do it or whether it is tiredness we will see.

“We felt under a pressure today to produce some good hurling and get scores and that takes its toll. From our point of view, we realised we created 40 chances against Waterford and took 14 and that was frustrating. Maybe we were being labelled as a long-ball team and got sucked into that kind of scenario and we put ourselves under a bit of pressure today to move the ball around a bit. But it will take anything at all to get over the line the next day.”

Cork’s preparation for this match was clouded by the controversy after Glen Rovers and Bride Rovers were expelled from the Cork county championship but Walsh said that the matter did not disturb his team.

“Well, it didn’t. I thought when I heard it – I got a phone call and thought someone was winding me up. I made contact with the players and the clubs as quickly as I could and there was no problem. The clubs are going to appeal.”

Dinny Cahill felt that his team bowed out of the All-Ireland race on a positive note, lamenting only that his players couldn’t get the crucial second-half goal that would have at least introduced a bit of mischief to the proceedings.

“The two frees and the chance with the ball bobbling around the goal . . . all we needed was to get it over the line and that would have got us back into the game. Their goal before half-time was a killer blow for us. But fair play, they took the game to Cork in the second half, they weren’t afraid of them and they proved they can compete with the top teams. Seven months ago we didn’t know these players and I think they have come a long way.”