Banner Boggers Bound for Beating

25th Jul 2008

Banner Boggers Bound for Beating
Finbarr Barry

If Cork beat Clare this weekend then the combined forces of our hurlers and footballers will have left a trail of sporting destruction along Ireland's west coast. From south Kerry, into

Conquering Clare this weekend would cover almost a third of the island's land mass in the 2008 championship glory map.

Limerick, through Clare and up into north Galway: another victory will complete a run of championship victories leaving the western half of the country devastated.

Blessed are the Robots
It was thrilling to see the 'data output' of the Newtown robots Ben and Jerry O'Connor in last Saturday's game against Galway. In 2005 we revealed that the twins' super-human abilities could actually come down to the fact that they are not human at all.

Such speed, skill, guile and wrist work could only be the work of some mysterious hurling cyborgs - programmed by scientists in deepest North Cork. All Corkonians know that Newtownshandrum doesn't actually exist and is only a cover name for a top-secret Area 51 type project where extreme hurling experiments are carried out.

As well as a stunning sideline cut, Ben's pinpoint accuracy over the dead ball was extraordinary while his brother's work rate at midfield could only be described as machine-like. No doubt the boys' operating systems have received some critical software updates in training and their mechanical systems have been well serviced and oiled over the winter.

Along with the O'Connor humanoids, others like Joe Deane, Ronan Curran and Séan Óg were magnificent but, for us it was corner back Shane O'Neill who really pulled the rug from the Tribesmens' feet whenever they encroached on his turf.

With a rock solid defence, a midfield pairing to die for and forwards with experience and sublime wristy skill there should be little doubt about the result on Sunday.

Coping with Clare People
Anyone who witnessed the deeply unpleasant bully tactics of the Clare hurlers in the mid-ninties under coach Ger Loughnane will have little love for their angry shouty fans.

Another defeat for Loughnane's native county on Sunday could see him switch to football.

Worse than Kerry fans for turning on their own players, Clare "fans" are a brittle type who have little love or loyalty for their own kin. If the banner start malfunctioning on the field Clare fans will be only too happy to leave early and jump into their jarveys and head home to the bogs.

This is a crucial advantage for Cork as true supporters never lost faith during last Saturday's game and kept roaring on the Rebels through thick and thin. Even when Galway started to pull ahead in the opening minutes of the second half there was no let up.

What appalled so many fans when Donal Óg Cusack was sent off was the huge taunting roar from Galway supporters and Waterford fans that had stayed on for the second game (not to mind Joe Canning's awful taunting as Cusack tried to inform the ref that the goal scorer had taken NINE steps before striking the ball).

For a man who has worked on behalf of GAA players everywhere, a man who was vindicated in the strike's binding arbitration and a man who has been a model player all his life this was hugely disrespectful and really roused Cork fans and players.

In the end ignorant Galway fans got their due while Waterford fans will be ruthlessly dealt with another day.

The Banner Roar
Clare only raise their game to inter-county level when they can conjure up the infamous siege mentality that won them All-Ireland titles in '95 and '97. It generally manifests itself in the bizarre howls of players and fans - imagine the sound of huge herds of cattle all with mad cow disease giving birth to screaming monkeys on cocaine - it's worse than that.

Gardiner acting as peacekeeper prevents two Clare men from eating each other.

Without this roaring motivation Clare can appear limp, their fans sullen and pouty. The bad news for the banner men is that Cork have reserved rights on the siege mentality this year so even if Clare do find somebody to "write them off" or tell them they haven't got a hope in championship 2008 there are a bunch of hurlers from Cork who are thinking the same but are blessed with much greater skill and an array of All Ireland medals.

With or without the banner roar Cork fans have shown themselves to be exemplary supporters and after Saturday's game several of the players commented on how important the support in the stadium was in spurring them on despite having just 14 men on the field.

As much as the players need to maintain their form, Cork fans must continue to drown out opposing fans and get behind the players when they need it most - especially in what's likely to be a bruising battle on Sunday.

No outfit has been more up for body clashing in the last fifteen years than the wild men of Clare but Cork are well able to mix it with the most physical of teams so expect another fire and brimstone clash in Semple….but more importantly expect to walk out with a smile on your face!

Rebels Abú!

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