Ó hÁilpín anxious to face Antrim

SEÁN ÓG Ó hÁilpín has given himself a “50-50” chance of playing in Cork’s All-Ireland hurling quarter-final against Antrim – a game which inevitably revives memories of one of the more embarrassing managerial moments in the history of the GAA.

Although Ó hÁilpín missed last Saturday’s Munster final replay defeat to Waterford with a hamstring injury, he is eager to start in Croke Park on Sunday for fear Antrim do pull off another shock, having beaten Dublin last weekend.

But six years ago, when Cork also met them in the quarter-finals, Antrim manager Dinny Cahill didn’t do his team any favours by declaring they would not only “beat Cork” – but that Cork “must be in trouble if they have brought Brian Corcoran back”, and that “they have a dreadful centre forward”, referring to Niall McCarthy.

Well, Cork won 2-26 to 0-10, with Corcoran scoring 2-1 and McCarthy 0-2.

Cahill left Antrim shortly afterwards, but is back on board this year. However, he’s been slow to make any similarly bold predictions this time.

“The build-up to that was we had beaten Tipperary in the last round of the qualifiers, in a crucial game, and the feeling was that we were back on the road again,” recalls Ó hÁilpín. “We would have seen Antrim as ‘perfect, nice draw’. Then basically Dinny Cahill then said a few things.

“But what disturbed us more than anything was that he had a go at Corcoran. That completely changed the mindset in the lead-up to the Antrim game. And I think the game was over after 20 seconds. That is being honest with you.”

Cahill, naturally, was primarily trying to inspire his own team, and Ó hÁilpín harbours no ill-feeling: “If that is what he genuinely felt then fair enough. I haven’t spoken to him about it. But he was still wrong on Corcoran.”

Ó hÁilpín was speaking in Dublin yesterday at the launch of Ulster Bank’s GAA iPhone application, which offers instant match-day results, news and other championship updates. Cork will once again be well fancied to beat Antrim, but they’ll need to get over last Saturday’s defeat first.

“As bad as what people are making out, we lost by a puck of a ball,” reckons Ó hÁilpín, “against a Waterford team that has had a better record over us over the last three to four years. I can understand why people are saying we are not closing off games. That’s because there were two ideal opportunities in the drawn game and the replay and we didn’t do it.

“I’d say we lacked a bit of determination when the game was there for the taking. Did we lack a bit of firepower? I tend to disagree. We did prove that we had it against Tipperary. It is a matter of trying to go back and look at what we did well that day and try to replicate it.”

If they win on Sunday, Cork then face All-Ireland champions Kilkenny: “Are the winners out of this game only prolonging their misery because they are going to meet Kilkenny?” he asks.

“The general consensus is that no one is going to beat them. Sunday is going to be a tough game and the prize for winning that game is a nice, beautiful game against Kilkenny.

“Look, I don’t see either Cork or Waterford beating Kilkenny on the performance of the Munster final replay. That is not to say that we can’t. I don’t want to be getting too ahead of myself here. There is one sure thing about sport – uncertainty. I’d look like a right fool talking about Kilkenny now. Put it this way, if we do win – and that’s a big IF – we’ll be going into Kilkenny underdogs and all I can say about that is that it will suit us down to the ground.”

Meanwhile, in football news, Mick O’Dwyer is being linked to a return to Laois, the team he managed from 2003 to 2006, having been nominated by former county board chairman Dick Miller following the ousting of Seán Dempsey.

O’Dwyer, who recently completed a three-year spell with Wicklow, has made no comment.