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It is noticeable that all the good dual players at minor level now opt for hurling - Cadogan would probably be on the football team but has elected to stay with hurlers even though he is just a panel member. A lot of people I know got fed up with football because of the tactics Cork have used since Tomkins was in charge. This short passing, ball going accross the field and backs playing in the forwards has meant that Cork are not very attractive to watch and not likely to win anything. 

That style of football is played in Cork from U10 up. Its coached into them not to kickthe football. Go to any juvinile game and its all fist passing.The Nemo Rangers style. Putrid stuff to watch. Ciaran Sheehan is another dual star, off to Aussie RUles once theCork minor hurlers are gone. 

The interest is gone out of Cork/Kerry games, in Cork anyhow

Agree totally TBT - it still seems to mean a lot to some Kerry folk but the reality is that it is no longer the attraction it was in the 70s and 80s. Football in Cork is now a very poor relation of hurling and while it has its diehard fans most Cork GAA supporters follow the hurling team. I know in our own club only a very small minority go to Cork football games. Kerry still try to pretend that there is great rivalry and that somehow the year is all the better when they beat Cork. Easy to please them I feel.

Football has always been well down the list in the collective Cork conscience but the last few yrs has seen its stock has plummited to an all time low. In terms of public interest in the City it trails rugby and soccer never mind hurling. There is just no appetite to support the game after the abject performances of recent seasons. Im sure Cork will turn out to support the side against Kerry but it will be more because of a lack of any thing better to do rather than genuine interest in the game. That old Cork/Kerry magic has evaporated. Theres now a general exceptance that Kerry are just too good/ Cork too poor when it comes down to it. Cork have been caught trying to support 2 codes in an era where its v difficult to compete with those counties who specialise in one code.

Id imagine as the game is on in the Pairc it will be half empty again. The interest is gone out of Cork/Kerry games, in Cork anyhow.

dublin city ramblers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0aDlwyKRJ0&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiBN59iJkTI&feature=related

As  Kevin Cashman said in another context to compare Nickey English to DJ Carey is to compare the Sydney Operahouse to the Cork Operahouse. English by a country mile. Cooney became far too fat and slow too early to be considered great.

Joe Cooney was always in good shape in his prime as you would imagine given he was a farmer. He only started to put on timber in the latter years of his career from around 1995 on when he hit his 30's. Besides Christy Ring was a fat hoor all his life so extra poundage shouldn't come into assessing a hurler's merits.

Cooney was in freefall from around 89 on.

Yet put in a virtuoso performance in the 1990 All -Ireland final and led his club almost single-handedly to two All-Ireland club titles in 93 and 94. Not bad for a man in freefall. That Galway team was getting old by 1990 but Cooney was still a great hurler well into the mid-1990's.

He mixed the brilliant with the awfull in the 90 final. Club hurling is irrelevant to this. Given his age he should have been the dominant player of the early 90s . No Galway person could argue he fulfilled his potential in his late 20s.

As  Kevin Cashman said in another context to compare Nickey English to DJ Carey is to compare the Sydney Operahouse to the Cork Operahouse. English by a country mile. Cooney became far too fat and slow too early to be considered great.

Joe Cooney was always in good shape in his prime as you would imagine given he was a farmer. He only started to put on timber in the latter years of his career from around 1995 on when he hit his 30's. Besides Christy Ring was a fat hoor all his life so extra poundage shouldn't come into assessing a hurler's merits.

Cooney was in freefall from around 89 on. Ring started to put on weight in his early 40s Up untill his late 30s he was exceptionally fit as any team photo would show. btw he was still the best club hurler in Cork in 66 at 46 yrs of age.

As  Kevin Cashman said in another context to compare Nickey English to DJ Carey is to compare the Sydney Operahouse to the Cork Operahouse. English by a country mile. Cooney became far too fat and slow too early to be considered great.

As much as i admired the incomparable Cashman he undoubtedly had a blind spot when it came to DJ,once famously suggesting that Ciaran Carey was a better hurler than DJ,and he was serious as i discovered in The County in Thurles when he listed his reasons why,each more ludicrous than the last ! Cashman also had a major soft spot for English since his Fitzgibbon  exploits with UCC.

In fairness to Cashman, it had to be galling for any Corkman who had seen the majesty of Ring, to see the Kilkenny propaganda machine spinning out of control wrt to as  flawed a hurler as Carey. Schadenfreude at Carey's woefull performences v Cork in recent All Ire finalswas had by all in Cork.THe Carey spin machine has certainly forever soured Cork views on him. As you mention English was clearly the best hurler hurler in the Country from the early 80s but got v little recognition because of how poor Tipp were at the the time.He had above any other hurler I saw the ability to deliever a a score when it was most needed. The Killarney equaliser the perfect example of his class. Given the l context, this score would have to go down as one of the greatest Tipp scores of all time.

As  Kevin Cashman said in another context to compare Nickey English to DJ Carey is to compare the Sydney Operahouse to the Cork Operahouse. English by a country mile. Cooney became far too fat and slow too early to be considered great.

Cork are a serious unknown going into this compaign. Ronan Curran, Jerry O Connor,Ben O Connor,Joe Deane and Niall Mc have all carried/are currently carrying long term injuries. 4/5 months training  behind a limited enough Tipp side which has gathered much needed momentum in the league. Diarmuid O Sullivan,in particular, is beginning to show his age. He literally has been the rock on which this Cork side has been built. The other side of the draw will be cannon fodder in the Munster final particularly if rumors of the unravelling of Waterford are to believed.

Why is it that so few Cork punters contribute to this discussion board? And what they do is short and sweet. This is a Cork/ Armagh thread but it s completely one-sided. Are they above this type of thing? They do nt attend matches too often either yet they would appear to have the most likely team to follow that have a chance of beating Kerry this year. Are they spoiled with regular easy success in the past and are too cool to socialise with lower life on discussion boards like this? Even Kerrymen make time to contribute regularly on here but Cork ....... They re not much fun.

Cork have our own supporters website. In terms of tradition and support Cork is a hurling county. Outside of the the day out to Killarney and an All Ire final they would be v little interst in gaelic football among the general populous. In the city Munster rugby and Cork Cityfc would all have much higher profile. Even in West Cork where gaelic football is the dominant code the support for the senior football side (Kerry games excluded) is tiny.

whatever happened that young minor star who Tom Ryan referred to as the Wayne Rooney of hurling a few yrs back. Cosgrove I think.

There are 16 intermediate/senior championship football club games on in Cork this weekend. Conor Counihan will be doing well to find 24 players for the Armagh game.

Bigfooty is an overrated website. Too many trolls there, and there are better Aussie Rules forums.

Hiya tadhg Kennely,
could you suggest some good forum and websites? i am looking at afl.com.au, realfooty.com, the roar and aflfootyblog, any more good ones?

I've sent you a private message mate with a couple of good Aussie Rules websites involving Forums, news and statistics.
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whats the story with the O hALPIN brothers? Are they likely to make the cut?

Id imagine Loughnane will have Tannian and Richie Murrey on the wingforward positions with Farragher and Hynes midfield. Big Joe against Big Diarmuid will be extremely interesting.

James Skehill is going to have some crack trying to find that halfforward line with his puck outs.