They Said It ....

September/October 2004

Nobody going up could have anticipated that performance. 1-27 is a great score but in an All-Ireland semi-final that was something else.
Certainly Wexford will not be happy with the way they played. But from a Cork perspective, you can only play as well as you are let play. They took the game by the scruff of the neck and were strong in every position.
The performance of the midfield was very impressive and the fact that their two men there, Jerry O'Connor and Tom Kenny scored (0-6 and 1-1 respectively) was a huge bonus. Behind them their half backs were massive as well.
Brian Cody is impressed after Cork’s All-Ireland semi-final demolition of Wexford

I thought in the first five or six minutes everybody was contesting every ball, so I was surprised that we got so far ahead, but I have to say our defence were superb in the first 15 minutes.
We contested their puck-outs and didn't allow them to get clean possession and I think that's what won it for us. I think the six weeks caught them (Wexford) a little bit. Maybe they were a bit flat.
Donal O’Grady admits to being surprised at the ease with which his team qualified for the All-Ireland final at Wexford’s expense

We're looking for a one in-a-row. We came up last year and were in an All-Ireland final and lost it. So we'll be trying to win it for the supporters and everyone involved in the game.
It's very important if you want to keep hurling going. It's under pressure in various places in Cork, especially in the city, and if you want to keep things going, an odd win every now and again wouldn't be any harm. It's going to be a huge task
The Liam McCarthy Cup is badly needed on Leeside according to Donal O’Grady

It was a massive display. Our backs were outstanding and we got three goals in the first half, three excellent goals I thought. I suppose you could say that if you took out those goals we have been under pressure but goals are a big part of hurling.
Brian Cody lauds his team’s display in the All-Ireland semi-final against Waterford

If we had been beaten today, beaten or caught at the end, the fact that we played three weeks in-a-row would have had nothing to do with it.
These lads love playing and they train hard. If we weren’t playing these matches we’d be training. I don’t see it as a problem, we could play again next week. In fact, I would love to play again next week.
I’m enjoying this. Henry Shefflin, Tommy Walsh, James McGarry, Sean Dowling - we all love our hurling. I really love being here, critics don’t come into it. I’m just doing it the way I’m doing it and it’s alright
The Kilkenny lads can’t get enough of the game, as Brian Cody explains after his side had qualified for the September 12 showpiece

I've said all along that out players work hard in matches and during training. They can be criticised for a number of things but they can't be accused of a lock of effort.
People pay their money to go to matches and they are entitled to criticise, but amateurs are being compared to professionals and that is unfair.
Some of these lads will be up for work at six or seven o'clock while other people take home €50,000 or €60,000 a week.
Some of the criticism aimed at his players during the year riled Donal O’Grady

The whole team is changing around the whole time and I have no problem with that. I certainly wouldn't complain because getting any Kilkenny jersey is a tough thing to do.
As long as I am playing that's all that matters
He’s played at midfield, in the forwards and now he is a defender, but Tommy Walsh doesn’t care as long as he is wearing the black and amber jersey

It was always going to be low scoring while there were seven backs against five forwards.
Clare, by leaving that man back, were not going to score a lot and as long as we tagged on a couple of points, we knew that we were going to be okay.
We got a blistering start and took it on from there. We were never behind
DJ Carey admits that Clare’s ploy of playing seven defenders against them in the All-Ireland quarter final was never going to work once the Cats were defending a lead

It’s very difficult to instil into our lads’ heads the fact that they will get it very tough against Antrim.
Antrim are generally regarded as no-hopers in the All-Ireland quarter-finals but last year against Wexford and the previous year against Tipp they stayed in contention until well into the second half.
We know that Antrim have a lot of fine hurlers and we’re familiar with them, having played them in the league this year and having also seen the Antrim lads playing with Dunloy in the All-Ireland club final against Newtownshandrum
Cork selector John Allen built up Antrim before Cork beat them by 22-points in the All-Ireland quarter-final

Cork have to have a problem when they recall Brian Corcoran. They have to have problems.
They have a dreadful inside forward line all season, couldn’t get the scores, they had to recall a man who finished playing. Well, he will be finished after Sunday, there’s no doubt about that.
If you look at their games, they had a dreadful centre forward but got away with it. We have a class centre back – we know how to stop that man from hurling.
We are going to win the All-Ireland this year. We can win the All-Ireland. After getting over this game, anything can happen
Having a cut at Cork and Brian Corcoran (who went on to score both goals in the 2-26 to 0-10 demolition of the Glensmen) was not the best thing that Antrim manager Dinny Cahill could have done before the All-Ireland quarter final between the two sides

I think it was all about heart and commitment and that is something that can never be questioned about this team.
Even in the Munster final when we were beaten by a point, the team never gave up and they fought to the bitter end.
Things will go with you some days while there are other times when you might struggle. They went with us today. Tipperary's goal before half-time might have had people thinking that we would sink but we had our heads up in the second half and we kept fighting away.
I felt we were nice and composed and we took our scores well and I was delighted. The team trained hard for this game and they are a group who are always anxious to do well
Bouncing back after losing the Munster final was never easy but Donal O’Grady was delighted with his team’s performance as they came from behind to beat Tipperary by 2-19 to 1-16
Everybody was saying we’d walk Leinster again this year. If we’d beaten Wexford and kept on winning we were set up for a fall which may have happened in the All-Ireland semi-final.
Bang, you’re gone then, so losing to Wexford could have been the making of us.
We thought that things were going alright but the real spark was missing, so it wasn’t so much of a setback as a wake up call
Kilkenny’s Noel Hickey thanks his lucky stars that his side’s championship defeat came at a time when the safety net of the backdoor system was still in place

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