Pale Reflection

27th Jul 2005

Pale Reflection
Finbarr Barry

Last Sunday whether up in Dublin or keeping it real back in the Rebel County, Cork hurling fans would have been humble in their assessment of their county's chances in the quarter final against Waterford. There is a certain charm and calm about most Cork fans which frustrates fans from other counties. They think we're arrogant but we're not. Its not arrogant to believe your county will beat another by five or six points when that belief is realised. That's confidence.

The very same confidence is bred into the players. When the half forward line is having trouble, the midfielders and half backs take up the slack. There's no panic. Sean ”g didn't have his greatest game ever in the semi but we knew he would re-double his efforts against Waterford and anyone who was fortunate enough to see this manifest itself into a 70 yard point while his marker was left shattered on Croker's turf at a crucial point in the match knows what we're on about. You just knew it would be aright.

There is a problem with Waterford hurling and its following that the county needs to address.

The kind sentiment of Cork fans towards their neighbours before the game was admirable. We couldn't be bitter if they won but as the match progressed and their fans became more vocal that sympathy for their county's lack of success waned.

Firstly the seemingly harmless chant of "ooo ahhh John Mullane" from the Deise may lie at the root of their problems. Soccer fans will remember the chant from the days of Jack's Army and World Cup 90 when ooo ahh Paul McGrath was roared every time the softly spoken Dub intercepted another English cross with the most reliable noggin in the northern hemisphere.

Waterford fans seem to idolise Mullane. Very strange. He scored a single point last Sunday and got fuck all the last time. The only other time he showed up on Sunday was to either fall helplessly at the feet of Cork defenders or to arrive late and add further unnecessary heat to a little schamozzle between players that was already over.

Waterford fans need to stop booing frees against them. You'd be tied to the back of a 4x4 and dragged back to where you came from if you did this in Musgrave or Thomond Park. From time to time every team and its supporters feel aggrieved with some decision by the ref and its human nature to make your feelings known. Cork should have had a penalty in the first half and Waterford fans should have felt lucky. Instead they booed Deano, Beno and Gardiner whenever they stepped up to take compensation for yet another dose of Waterford dirty play.

This negative attitude is hardly helpful to the Waterford players as it encourages them to feel aggrieved rather than trying to get back down the pitch and make amends on the scoreboard.

Cork fans have a few tunes that aren't exactly classic examples of songwriting but are enough to give the team a lift when they need it:

"O 2 be a rebel", "Rebels! Clap! Clap! Clap!" and the sweet tones of a single verse of de Banks are the extent of Cork fans repertoire but Waterford fans have a more limited and darker element to theirs.

F*ck the Rebel County, Deano is a w*nker, the referee is a w*nker, Sean Og is a w*nker were on constant repeat last Sunday in Hill 16. Basically anyone conspiring towards Cork scores was endeared with this pathetic smear. The stupidity and senselessness of booing Cork players only got the Cork crowd fired up. When Corcoran put that drop shot into the corner of Clinton Hennesy's net the Cork crowd did not stop roaring until the sun went down in Dublin. The foul mouthed Deise element quickly shed their "loyalty" and departed leaving 15 of their county men alone in Croker desperately hanging on to any respect left for their county in the last 10 minutes. Respect that was eroded more in the terraces and stands than on the field.

In the rougher, more primal football scene this is something you might expect out of Dublin fans on Hill 16 but to lower the GAA into the realm of English Premiership soccer chants is not something Waterford should be concentrating on. They need to give every fella in the county a hurley and ball and see if they can unearth some new talent because they're certainly going to need it. The more Cork dislike your county the bigger the punishment you will receive in the championship.

On Sunday morning Cork fans would have said that you couldn't begrudge Waterford fans a victory - being starved of All Ireland success since 1953 must take its toll. By 7pm on Sunday however having been issued with a formal notice of disrespect by Deise fans
we were happy not just with the victory but the manner in which we, the All-Ireland Champions crushed the Deise: ruthless, unrelenting and certain.

Justin McCarthy can only show them how to do it - he can't go out there and hurl for every man. He has done nothing wrong. Maybe its time for him to come back home to Cork where he'll be appreciated even more or move to a county that respects our hurling tradition because if the savages are determined to hang on to their old ways there's only so much the missionary can do with the good news before he gets eaten alive..