Outgoing Cork hurling manager Pat Ryan has acknowledged that he was “worried” at half-time in last month’s All-Ireland final but strenuously denied the rumours of a dressingroom row, as circulated on social media.
Speaking to Marty Morrissey on RTÉ Radio 1’s Sunday Sport, Ryan was emphatic. “Absolutely not. Why would we be having a blazing row when we were six points up? I don’t even know where that started from. I went back to work on the Thursday and the lads were telling me about this.
“It’s totally disrespectful for the players involved. There were names mentioned. It’s desperate for those things to be done to amateur players, for their names to be castigated like that.”
He added: “Maybe if we had had a row, we might have come out of it better off.”
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Cork looked in control in the opening half but collapsed in the second half, when Tipperary outscored them 3-14 to 0-2 to win by 15 points
“We were in a very good place but I was worried at half-time,” said Ryan. “I just felt that Tipperary were bringing a better energy than we were. They were hunting the ball harder than us. We were getting scores in and around the middle and creating great scores. Diarmuid Healy and Shane Barrett had fantastic first halves, but they (Tipperary) were frustrating our perceived best strength in the full-forward line.
Whatever would have happened in 2025, it still would have been the worst year of my life
— Pat Ryan on the death of his brother Raymond
“At the same time, our full-forward line scored the same as them, but they were driving the contest, winning the physical battles and engagements. When you are not at that pitch, when they turned the tide against us in the second half, you just can’t switch that mental side of things.
“Tipp put us under pressure and we made mistakes. Credit to Tipperary and their management team. They got their just rewards.”
Despite suggestions that the county board wanted him to shake up his backroom team, Ryan said his decision not to accept re-appointment, which was announced on Saturday, had been taken because he didn’t want to agree to a further three years after five years’ involvement with Cork between senior and under-20.
“In fairness to the county board, they were looking for someone to do three years. They let me know that they felt I was the man to do the job for the next three years, but that I had to commit to those three years.
“Look, at the end of the day, nobody has a contract and you can walk away whenever you want but three years wasn’t something I could commit to.”
He also spoke about his brother Raymond’s death last March, saying that they used to talk about hurling every day.
“That’s a huge loss to me. Whatever would have happened in 2025, it still would have been the worst year of my life. It’s something that is going to take me a while to get over. I’ll never get over it. I probably need a break to help me get through it.”
