Barry O’Mahony on a rollercoaster first season covering Cork’s footballers

THIS piece should have been previewing an All-Ireland SFC quarter-final tie this weekend for the Cork footballers but instead it’s a quick personal review of the season.

The Rebels campaign came to an end last Sunday in Inniskeen in south Monaghan after a 1-9 to 1-8 defeat to Louth in the All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final which denied Cork’s place in the last eight of the Sam Maguire.

It was my first season covering the Cork footballers and despite the way it has ended, it was a campaign that has taken me all over Ireland, new experiences but the same old failings for the Cork team with the season ending with more questions than answers.

It was a campaign that promised so much especially on the back of the steady progress the group has made under John Cleary’s stewardship over the past two seasons. But failure to have a right crack at promotion from the Allianz Division 2 football league and not ending up in Croke Park for a last eight battle against one of the top teams means the season was underwhelming.

On a personal level, it was a pleasure to have been at the matches. Supporting the Cork footballers growing up was a special one as the Leesiders were regularly making the latter stages of the Munster and All-Ireland campaigns and to be going to matches nowadays in a work capacity is like a pinch me moment.

The first match will never be forgotten. The opening McGrath Cup encounter on Wednesday, January 3 against Clare in Clarecastle on what was the worst weather conditions imaginable. The rain was coming sideways, an umbrella was a waste of time that night despite the best efforts of the uncle Finbarr Sheehan. It took him a month to come back to normal!

It was the most difficult game ever to report on but given the lack of media facilities in Clarecastle, it meant I was on the sideline next to the Cork management and it was refreshing to be so close.

The Rebels won comfortably and went on to win the McGrath Cup title after a penalty shootout win over Kerry in the final, but it was only a pre-season competition. No one was getting carried away.

But people had a right to be bullish about the 2024 season and what the team could possibly do. It was the first league match away to Donegal in which reality set in. A heavy beating followed by two more defeats which put the season on the ropes, but the players responded by finishing fourth in the Allianz Division 2 football league. The one-point win over Fermanagh in Ederney was a turning point in the season. Maurice Shanley’s injury-time goal sparked a celebration in the press area.

Cork ran Kerry close in the Munster championship semi-final, going down by three points in the end, but navigated the All-Ireland SFC group stage draw quite well in the first two games with wins over Clare away and Donegal at home.

That win over the Ulster champions was the highlight of the season, a magnificent two-point win on a day when the roof nearly lifted off Páirc Uí Rinn. It was a dream to have been there and witnessing the pitch invasion afterwards was magic. Myself and Éamonn Murphy were kicking every ball in the press box and we celebrated together once the final whistle blew. We let the hair down for a few seconds. It made it all worthwhile.

From getting soaked to the bone in January in Clarecastle to getting sun burnt in June in Páirc Uí Rinn, it was definitely worth it. But in typical Cork football style, the Donegal victory was a false dawn as defeats to Tyrone and Louth have meant the season is over.

At the end of the day, this scribe is very passionate about Cork football and only wants the best for Cork football. As first campaigns go, it was one where every single emotion was tested.

As the old saying goes, the wheel always turns and whether it’s Cork’s cockiness or stupidity on my part, there’s always that dream that success is never too far away even if it feels worlds apart. It’s the hope that kills you. 

Roll on next season.