CORK manager Jimmy Barry
Murphy had no complaints at fulltime
as his team came up short
against Waterford for the second
time in five weeks.
“I thought the lads gave it a great
effort today. Some days you have
to accept that you are beaten by a
better team. We got two shots at
Waterford and we couldn’t beat
them.”
So will the Deisemen be involved
in the shakedown for Liam MacCarthy
come summer’s end?
“They are a good team,” said
JBM. “We knew that facing into
today. We knew today we were
going to face a tough battle. I
thought today we were better prepared
than the last day. Again, they
got the goals at the crucial time and
they knocked us back certainly, no
doubt about that.”
The Rebels boss added: “We
couldn’t get the ball to stick in
the full-forward line. That was a
problem in the second-half. They
have very big backs and are a big
physical team. Their use of the ball
was excellent. You have admire the
way they took their two goals. They
were great finishes and they give a
team a great lift.”
Cork sprung out of the blocks and
ought to have led by more than four
points given their early territorial
dominance.
“I was delighted with our start
and I felt then that momentum was
with us a bit,” said Barry Murphy.
“We had some poor wides, some
poor shot-selection which hampered
us and then the goals. We didn’t take
our chances when we were ahead
and push on in the first-half. The
goals came then and they knocked
us back a lot. They knocked our
confidence, I felt.
“We were reasonably happy at
half-time. We played so well that
I felt we shouldn’t have gone in
a point down. The goals decide
games. In fairness to Waterford, you
have to admire them, they got two
great goals in the first-half. They
exposed us. Over the two days,
they have been the better team than
us and we have to accept that and
move on from that.”
As for his dethroned Munster
champions, JBM declared: “A lot
of people questioned the players in
relation to their attitude and commitment
but they have been fantastic
for us over the last couple of
years.
“We’ve all had bad days. All
we can ask them is to give everything
they have and they certainly
did that. There was no fault in that
department. I couldn’t fault the
players’ attitude.
Waterford got the goals and were
the better team on the day.”
The qualifiers beckon for Cork
as it did two years ago when they
ultimately reached the All-Ireland
Final.
“It’s a hard route,” said the Rebels
bainisteoir. “Looking at the teams
in the qualifiers already, it’s going
to be very difficult. We’ve got to
get up and fight another day. We’ll
always keep fighting in Cork.
“We know where we’re at in the
pecking order. We certainly won’t
be lying down. We’ll give it everything
we have to get back on track
again…
“We have a tough road ahead of
us now. Clare, Dublin and ourselves
are there. It is going to be very
difficult.
“We got to face the fact that over
the two days Waterford have been
the better team. There is nothing
you can do about that but regroup
and try and lift the lads up. We will
give it a go the next day.”
