Far more threats to Cork than Clare dangerman Shane O'Donnell says Eoin Cadogan
'We're not even mentioning a player like Tony Kelly, Peter Duggan, I think Mark Rodgers got 1-4 down the Pairc from play in the Munster Championship game.'
Stop Shane O’Donnell and you stop Clare? Not a bit of it, says former Cork star Eoin Cadogan. The Clare forward is in the form of his life approaching Sunday’s All-Ireland final and, right now, is the clear favourite to win Hurler of the Year, with Cork midfielder Darragh Fitzgibbon his closest rival.
While the Eire Og man hasn’t been hugely prolific in the Championship, scoring 2-12 across seven games, the Clare attack has essentially revolved around his ball-winning and play-making ability, with so many of their scores going through him. But while curtailing his influence would be a significant boost for Cork, but not the winning or losing of the game, Cadogan insists.
“No, absolutely not, I think that train of thought won't really seep into the players' or the management's mindset,” he said. “Like, we're not even mentioning a player like Tony Kelly, Peter Duggan, I think Mark Rodgers got 1-4 down the Pairc from play in the Munster Championship game.
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“Throw in John Conlon, David Fitzgerald who has been popping up, and I know Darragh Fitzgibbon is in incredible form and has given three or four points a game, but so has David Fitzgerald, he's really led the charge there.
“Even though the semi-final maybe didn't go as well for a lot of those guys, to think that it's just Shane O'Donnell you have to worry about would be silly really. Of course you have to respect how good he is and 11 years ago we all saw how good he is, he broke all our hearts,” recalled Cadogan, when a teenaged O’Donnell hit 3-3 in the All-Ireland final replay.
“I think they have a lot of different threats. I actually said at the start of the year, I thought they were the best team to challenge Limerick for All-Ireland success.”
In terms of the match-ups, Cadogan reckons that Clare boss Brian Lohan has less head-scratching to do than his Cork counterpart Pat Ryan.
“I think they have a really good balance between those older guys, younger guys and they actually match up quite well to Cork as well.
“If I was to say what are their six starting backs going to be, and who they're going to pick up, I'd have a fair go off getting five of them anyway I reckon.
“Whereas Cork probably have a little bit more questions to ask in terms of, who is going to pick up Shane O'Donnell? And who is going to pick up Tony Kelly?
“And those are the two questions Cork management will have for themselves and the group this week, without wanting to rejig the whole setup and the whole structure.”
Cadogan is pleasantly surprised that Cork have made it this far, having been sceptical about their chances of beating Limerick for a second time in the semi-final.
“Honestly, I thought that was going to be a huge ask of them. But to be fair to them, they kept a lot of the same tactics as what they did in that Munster Championship game.
“It was underpinned by work rate and their forwards, there was a huge spread of different scores, and they're now back in another All-Ireland final considering they needed Tipperary and Waterford to draw, Clare getting a last minute '65 so they've had a bit of luck on their side so far and sometimes you need that bit.
“The semi-final was outrageous, it was an incredible game. I thought so many of their players performed to their maximum and yet Limerick still nearly found a way, only prevailing with two points in it. It shows how much the group has matured really.
“I think it started down in Pairc Ui Chaoimh against Limerick that night really. I know there were a lot of references to the Cork support and the 'sea of red' is travelling and all of that but it does have a massive impact and now they're back exactly where they want to be.”
Cadogan won an All-Ireland football medal with Cork in 2010 and rounded out his inter-county career by playing in the hurlers’ final defeat to Limerick in 2021, but he’s never seen a demand for a final on Leeside like this, as a player or supporter, as Ryan’s side bid to bridge a 19-year gap.
“No, it’s insane, it’s crazy. Maybe you’re completely protected as a player, I know my parents looked after tickets for me but this week has been insane.
“I think it’s different to 2021 because there was only a certain capacity allowed in (due to Covid-19 restrictions) so I don’t think there was the same sort of hype whereas there’s huge belief in Cork, that’s the reality of it from a supporter’s perspective.
“Nobody really wants to miss out on this occasion but particularly this, the demand has been crazy this week so I’m looking forward to seeing how much red and white is going to be there on Sunday.”
Eoin Cadogan is an ambassador for Budweiser, official beer partner of the Aer Lingus College Football Classic at the Aviva Stadium on August 24 as Georgia Tech take on Florida State.
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