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By John Coleman
It has been three years since Dónal Óg Cusack eviscerated his county board of directors on "The Sunday Game" during the recent Cork Chambling chamber album at all levels. At the time, it was difficult to argue with him because the numbers spoke for themselves
. From 2009 to 2015, Cork was solidly anchored at the bottom of the honors table at Munster, scoring only one Munster Senior title in 2014, to accompany the last Munster club crown of Newtownshandrum in 2009.
Meanwhile, in second place on this infamous table that Cusack had prepared, were Limerick, with 10 titles.
Ten titles that have been beautifully extended through minor, U21, Harty, senior and club. Ten titles that showed that the Limerick throw was rising regularly
Even before Cusack's critics, introspection had begun in Cork and hard work had begun.
In an interview with GAA.ie, GDA Cork Gaming Director Kevin O Callaghan admitted that "Cork was probably slow to embrace the development teams and we paid the price for that for a few years."
This is not the case now because Cork, as O 'Callaghan says, "starts catching". On the "Rebel Óg" website, the objectives and strategy are clear; maximize participation through regular and meaningful games aligned with high level coaching. Rebel Óg also shows how Cork is using their size to their advantage by regionalizing their development teams to expose more players to high-level coaching.
This is one of the many subplots that make the semifinal of Ireland so fascinating.
Because while Limerick has been performing dreadfully at the miners' level for a while now, Cork is slowly starting to fill the gap thanks to the success of his strategy.
What is the best practice when it comes to developing the stars of tomorrow?
When a player leaves the other side after U21, is it a beginning or an end in itself? It's hard to answer.
Limerick has already gone through a dawn when he won three titles in Ireland in 2000-2002. For this generation, it was the end – not the beginning.
Their director of game development, Noel Hartigan, in an interview with GAA.ie last year, acknowledged that although there was a five-year plan in place at the time,
"There was a plan in place, but the teams were working individually, now there is more joint thinking. By contrast, when Cork last won Ireland's under-21 honors in 1997 and 1998, it was a stepping stone to the 1999, 2004 and 2005 hit shows. C & # 39; was a start, a way for
The landscape has changed somewhat since the sprain of Dónal Óg, but what statistics from 2013 to today tell us about Cork and Limerick?
In a nutshell, Limerick is ticking all the right boxes. If we use Cusack's table as a model, they are now at the top of the pile with 17 incredible titles, with the highlight being their two M21 throwing crowns.
The only thing they miss is an All-Ireland senior. But it is not only their success that is impressive, it is also their attitude. The competition replaces the victory to a certain extent since Hartigan said that the academy was not meant to "necessarily win everything at the age of 14 or under 15, it's that you would have players ready to compete with the minor. "
Culture and & ethos & # 39; and how teams can feed each other. It is about the big picture, the unity and the pursuit of the big.
John Kiely saw it all first-hand and helped lay the groundwork through his involvement at the under-21 level
just behind Tipperary, with ten titles. They also imitate Limerick in their commitment to the process and to unity.
John Meyler was involved at the U15, U16 and U21 level before climbing to the senior level. He also took Kieran Murphy and Seánie Barry with him, while coach Dónal O 'Mahony played a pivotal role in the revival of CBC Cork
As for the constant exposure to high-intensity games,
in their own as players earn their spurs in winter conditions. Ardscoil Rís has annexed three of the last six titles of the Harty Cup. Apart from that Limerick has had at least three schools involved in the Harty for the last five years.
The Cork schools have, however, lost three of the last six finals of the Harty Cup. But there are many players exposed to this level of hurling with at least five participating Cork schools in the last five years.
The Dean Ryan U16½ competition is often indicative of what will happen at the Harty level. Here, Ardscoil claimed a title for Limerick as three of the last six winners came from Cork, Midleton CBS (2) and Fermoy from St. Colman, further signaling the health of both counties.
But Limerick can also cast Na Piarsaigh's predominance in the Munster club and the fact that Fitzgibbon's last five titles have landed on Shannonside (though Fitzgibbons comes with the usual warnings.) [19659003OfcoursethetalentindustrycouldshowthatelitismhaspenetratedthefoundationsofthebadociationHartiganrevealedinhisGAAieinterviewforexamplethatnoboardgamenanÓgtakesplaceonSaturdaytofacilitatetheAcademy
However, like all situations of "Catch-22", if you do not play the game you will soon be outdistanced in the race for fame, as Cork has discovered too recently. . And, as O 'Callaghan concluded in his interview, "although it's good to win underage, in the end, Cork's victory at the senior level is what we want to be defined by "There is no magic wand here, hard work is the only way to achieve it."
There is no doubt that Limerick experienced this feeling of victory more often than Cork during their respective apprenticeships.
However, when it comes to the one that counts, both teams are as green as each other.
As to who does it better? Well, events will dictate that, starting tomorrow afternoon at Croke Park.
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