You wonder at what point on Saturday last did the “Oh f**k, not again” feeling invade the headspace of the Cork senior hurlers. Because, particularly if you happened to be taking in the action on television, if you just switched of half way through the second half, you would be entitled to total exoneration for assuming it was a re-run of last year’s All Ireland final.
Never has the same team produced two identically appaling displays on the big pitch in such quick succession. Well, two spells of 35 minutes would be a more truthful illustration of Cork’s consecutive Croke Park calamities.
This time around, in reality Galway never allowed them to impose themselves on the game. Daithi Burke may well experience night terrors for a while after being ravaged by big Brian Hayes.
But they will be no different to those tormenting Danien Cahalane and Sean O’Donoghue at the other end of the field pertaining to Jason Rabbitte.
That said, even though Darragh Neary’s brilliant goal got Galway away to a dream start and a lead of 1-03 to 0-02, a similarly sensational strike from Alan Walsh at the other end meant that Ben O’Connor’s charges took an unlikely 1-13 to 1-12 lead down the tunnel at half time.
Mind you, they are probably now ruing surrendering a 1-13 to 1-07 buffer evaporate to the minimum after a late slew of Galway scores from Tom Monaghan, Rabbite, Aaron Niland and Cathal Mannion.
A similar strike from the absolutely outstanding Gavin Lee tied things up immediately after the restart before – for reasons somebody may eventually do a Masters degree on – Cork hit the self destruction trigger once again.
In the most recent instance, it was, ironically, the supposed leader of the pack who rocket fuelled the dung towards the fan when being sent for an early shower with a quarter hour still to go.
Whether Darragh Fitzgibbon should have received the second yellow card is highly questionable, but, having said that, a player of his experience should have been streetwise enough to avoid clocking up a second yellow.
However, such was the fluidity, freedom and class with which Micheal Donoghue’s charges hurled after the break, I’m not sure if Cork had an extra man – never mind being down one – I’m not sure it would have made any difference.
Now, though, the challenge for those from where the fields lie low is to do it all again. And then some!
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