![\"Cork's](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/4857507_3_articleinline_2754809-5P_BK1_0080.jpg\" "\\"Cork's")
Cork’s Alan Connolly tries to get a shot away as Tipperary’s Michael Breen closes in during July’s All-Ireland SHC final. Picture: Inpho\/Bryan Keane<\/p>\nTipperary\u2019s relentless workrate was the key factor in the All-Ireland SHC final turnaround, Cork attacker Alan Connolly believes.<\/p>\n
The Rebels\u2019 wait for the Liam MacCarthy Cup moved into a 22nd year after a good half-time position was squandered at Croke Park on July 20.<\/p>\n
Tipperary\u2019s use of a sweeper was pinpointed as a major reason for Cork\u2019s malfunctioning as a six-point lead turned into a 15-point loss but Connolly feels it can be put down to something more primal.<\/p>\n
\u201cTipp went after us,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey tackled more. It was literally it. We just got shocked by it.<\/p>\n
\n We kind of had an idea they would play with a sweeper. I don\u2019t think it was tactically they won \u2013 it was more that they wanted it more.\n <\/p>\n
\u201cThey were relentless in tackling. Just went after us. It wasn\u2019t really tactical, I\u2019d say.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Blackock sharpshooter Connolly was speaking to promote the club\u2019s car raffle fundraiser in association with Cogans Toyota, which offers the prize of a brand-new Toyota Yaris Hybrid worth \u20ac30,000.<\/p>\n
Cork’s Alan Connolly tries to get a shot away as Tipperary’s Michael Breen closes in during July’s All-Ireland SHC final. Picture: Inpho\/Bryan Keane<\/p>\n
\u201cIt kind of started after the Limerick game down the P\u00e1irc last year,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
\u201cLike, that was our first win in Munster that year. To see that crowd, that reaction, to realise \u2018they are still following us now even though we are after losing a few games, that drove us on.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe rolled off that for the year. So, coming into this year, we knew they would be behind us no matter what.<\/p>\n
\n It gives you so much pride and confidence going into the season.\u00a0\n <\/p>\n
“When I was younger, I tried to go to every match with Cork but it was never [as big as] that.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd it\u2019s after growing even more in 2025. I can only imagine what it will be like in 10 years\u2019 time.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The flipside of such a bond means that, when there are days like the All-Ireland final – Cork were outscored by 3-14 to 0-2 in the second half, there is a strong sense of guilt.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, of course,\u201d Connolly says, \u201cthere is always that element that you let people down.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not just the fans. You are letting yourself down, more importantly, and then there was Pat [Ryan], the management, your family.<\/p>\n
\n Your family sacrifice a lot the whole year for you to play intercounty. It is tough on them.\u201d\u00a0\n <\/p>\n
Not to mention the rumours that began to spread around the county and country in the wake of the defeat.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, of course,\u201d Connolly says.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is tough seeing stuff online as well, because none of it was true. That was hard for us. We kind of laughed it off.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Naturally, adding to the disappointment was the fact that the game was Patrick Horgan\u2019s last as a Cork player and Pat Ryan\u2019s last as the manager. However, the wheel keeps turning and Connolly is keen to get going with the new manager, Ben O\u2019Connor.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course, obviously he was a forward as well,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
\u201cI haven’t met him yet, so I’m looking forward to having a meeting now and stuff like that, and seeing how training goes. It’s really exciting. It’s an exciting time.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe’re still a good team and stuff. We still have the same players. There’s new players coming in and hopefully we can bounce off each other as well.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Tipperary\u2019s relentless workrate was the key factor in the All-Ireland SHC final turnaround, Cork attacker Alan Connolly believes.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":178300,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[76],"tags":[24,18,129,19,17,132],"class_list":{"0":"post-178299","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"tag-cork-gaa","9":"tag-eire","10":"tag-hurling","11":"tag-ie","12":"tag-ireland","13":"tag-sports"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/115541941189986226","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/178299","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=178299"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/178299\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/178300"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=178299"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=178299"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=178299"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}