Cork defender Eoin Downey said there would be no paralysis by analysis of their All-Ireland SHC final collapse last season but admitted it’s a scab that must be picked at ahead of the new inter-county season.
The Glen Rovers man and current UCC hurler, speaking at the Electric Ireland GAA higher education and camogie third level championships launch, was asked to revisit last July’s horror show when the Rebels led Tipperary by six points at half-time but ultimately lost by 15 points to ensure their wait for the Liam MacCarthy Cup extended past the two-decade mark.
A day Downey would like to forget – especially given his 54th-minute dismissal – but reflection is a necessity, according to the 22-year-old.
“You kind of have to talk about it because look, what happened, happened.
“There’s things to learn from it. So, we have spoken about it, but now we haven’t gone into too much depth yet, which we probably will, but it won’t just be one day focused on that, that’s not the way we are.
“We’ll take points from it, we’ll take points from other games and we’ll bring them all together and use them to benefit us.
“As much as we will talk about it, it’s time to move on too at the same time. There’s bigger and better things to come, please God, and there’s obviously more challenges in front of us which we have to face.
“There’s no point in dwelling on the past as much as we do have to look over it, there’s no point in staying on it.”
It was a second successive final defeat for Cork under Pat Ryan, who stepped down in the aftermath of the latter, with Clare pipping them in a 2024 extra-time thriller that saw the sides level on 14 different occasions.
Eoin Downey will be hoping to help UCC to Fitzgibbon Cup glory in the coming weeks
“I suppose it was a bit different to the All-Ireland final against Clare (2024),” Downey told RTÉ Sport.
“It [the Clare loss] was just a bit of a crueller way to go down. I would say it was a lot harder to take, it was a lot harder to swallow.
“Those things obviously will stay with you for the rest of your life and whatever happened, happened. You can’t be dwelling on them things. It’s just not good for your mind, it’s not good for your health in general.
“As much as it did really take a toll on me, it’s just time to move on and use those things as positives.”
Despite those significant setbacks, Downey has quickly established himself as one of the elite young defenders in the game, a fact rubber-stamped by a 2024 All-Star with brother Robert also picking up an award in the half-back line.
New boss Ben O’Connor is well aware of the younger sibling’s talents with Downey playing a key role for his manager as the Rebels won the All-Ireland Under-20 title against Offaly in 2023.
“Ben is brilliant, and I’ve dealt with Ben playing with U20s,” Downey continued.
“Look, he’s brilliant, he’s very accommodating to us. All he wants is for Cork to win All-Ireland, and what more do you want?”
In December, injury prevented Downey from competing against his own county team-mates as Cork faced UCC in the annual Canon O’Brien Cup. It was still a big day for the family as Robert lifted his first silverware as Rebel captain as they fired six goals past the students.
Brothers Eoin Downey (L) and Robert Downey picked up All-Stars in 2024
Downey remains on university duty as the Cork side try to end Limerick’s hold on the Fitzgibbon Cup with University of Limerick (3) and Mary Immaculate sharing the last four triumphs.
Balancing county and college commitments can often be presented as a chore, but for Downey it’s opportunity.
“I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s a challenge, to be honest. I would say I’m just happy to be around and playing, playing as many real competitive games as possible.
“As much as it did really take a toll on me, it’s just time to move on and use those things as positives.”
“I’m really looking forward to playing the Fitzgibbon in general. It’s a massive competition – not to say that the Munster League isn’t a massive competition – I’m just looking forward to playing big games.
“I wouldn’t say it stresses me out, I’m just looking forward to it.
“It’s brilliant to get to know other players from different counties. You can learn a lot from them, not just myself and not just the Cork fellas, but all the Tipp’ lads and Kilkenny lads and Waterford and so on would bring in different styles and different little tips and tricks and skills. You can learn a lot of things from them.”