Cork talisman Pat Horgan needs game of his life against Limerick

Cork never bothered putting up 'home of hurling' signs at the county borders. They'd be a bit sniffy about something like that. To them, it was a given. They never felt the need to shout it from the rooftops.

Their record in the modern era, though, means they've had very little to shout about. If they don't win the All-Ireland this summer, they will have gone 19 years without the Liam MacCarthy Cup - comfortably the longest gap in their history.

When Brian Cody became Kilkenny manager in the winter of 1998, the Cats had 25 All-Irelands. They were second on the all-time roll of honour, two behind Cork. But, when Cody walked off into the sunset, Kilkenny had 36, Cork had only pushed their tally up to 30 - and that last win in 2005 seems a long time ago now.

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Many feel that the one player the Rebels have had who'd walk on to any team in the country since '05 is Pat Horgan. Horgan made his Cork debut in 2008 and, at 36, he's well into the veteran stage.

Nobody would be surprised if today's All-Ireland semi-final with Croke Park brings the curtain down on his career.

But you can be sure that Horgan isn't thinking that way. He wouldn't have stuck around if he didn't feel there was an All-Ireland in Cork. He'll be giving everything he can to get them to the final.

He's on the cusp of a remarkable achievement too. Horgan is just one point short of the 700 point tally in Championship hurling. He has plenty of landmarks on his CV already.

Seven years ago, Cork beat Clare in the Munster final and Horgan's haul of 0-13 was especially significant. It brought his Championship tally to 12-268 - meaning he had smashed Christy Ring's all time record for Cork by nine points.

Horgan was the top scorer in the All-Ireland Championship in his debut season of 2008, and reached the same spot in 2010 and 2016.

He is Cork's leading scorer in League hurling and Glen Rovers' leading championship scorer. But the big prize that he wants has proved elusive.

This will be Horgan's ninth All-Ireland semi-final. He has only won two to date. He made a big impact in those wins - scoring the game-breaking goal against Dublin 11 years ago and firing 0-6 from playing the extra-time defeat of Kilkenny in 2021.

For Cork to back up their Munster Championship win over Limerick by derailing the five-in-a-row would need something special for them. It's likely they'd need a few goals, given Limerick's habit of posting 30 points plus in big games.

And Horgan's highlights reel shows he's more than just a points machine. Four years ago, the RTE cameras were in place in Pairc Ui Chaoimh for the clash of Glen Rovers and St Finbarr's. The Glen ended up winning by 3-20 to 2-15, with Horgan's 1-9 a pivotal contribution.

But what got armchair viewers jolting upright in their seats was his injury time goal. There didn't seem much danger when he chased after a loose ball out on the left wing. A clever ground flick, though, saw Horgan burst past Glen O'Connor. He took the ball on to his stick at full stride, took a couple of steps before firing to the Barrs' net from distance. One of the goals of the year.

Again and again, Cork's character has been questioned after they've lost big games in tight finishes. But Horgan has never had time for such talk.

"We know it's not about that.. it's about making one or two plays a game, near the end. That's all,'' he once said. ''You don't have to do anything supernatural. Do your own job or, if the ball is presented to you, do the right thing at the right time.

"If you look back on any of the games that we didn't finish out, there were probably six or seven things we could have prevented - any one out of the six or seven would have put a whole different look on the game.

"I wouldn't say unlucky because it must be very bad luck to be always happening. But just a case of if the ball breaks to you in that critical time where your team just needs to make one play - then make the play."

Make the play. Do that consistently todyy, and Cork have a shot at history, but Horgan might well need to have the game of his life.

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