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Peter Sweeney

Peter Sweeney's Blog

Peter Sweeney is the Gaelic Games Correspondent with the Irish Daily Star Newspaper. He is a regular on television and radio and even though he isn't any good he still tries to play Gaelic football.

  • 20 Sep 2010

    Cork rewarded at last after a 20 year wait

    TEAMS and players don’t always get what they deserve out of sport. But on Sunday old soldiers like John Miskella, Graham Canty and Nicholas Murphy got their reward. read more

    TEAMS and players don’t always get what they deserve out of sport.

    But on Sunday old soldiers like John Miskella, Graham Canty and Nicholas Murphy got their reward.

    Between them they learned about All-Ireland final heartache with a combined eight losses stretching back to 1999.

    The three of them have had seasons ruined by injury and only Miskella was fit enough to start and finish at the weekend.

    The elation at winning as incredible, but for them it would have been tempered by the knowledge that Anthony Lynch didn’t even make the bench.

    Their fellow elder-statesman has hardly kicked a ball all year due to fitness problems and he wasn’t included in the panel.

    Yesterday’s All-Ireland final win was his as much as anyone else’s for all the work he has put in since his debut in 1999

    For youngsters like Ciaran Sheehan and Aidan Walsh, both hugely talented and both just out of their teens, winning an All-Ireland must seem like the most natural thing in the world.

    But for Cork’s veterans doubts must have been creeping into their minds as they slipped five behind a confident Down team with half-time fast approaching.

    Miskella could have been taken off following some wild shooting, but manager Conor Counihan left him be and he delivered after the break.

    And the introduction of Murphy for the start of the second half and Canty six minutes later swung the contest for the Rebels.

    Murphy started the rout of Down in the middle of the park, which was continued by Walsh, and he was dominant in the 30 minutes he lasted before injury got the better of him again.

    Canty offered calmness, experience and drive to the halfback line and it was fitting that he was the man who went up the steps of the Hogan Stand to accept the Sam Maguire.

    He is the heartbeat of this team and after the game he enjoyed a few laughs with hurling goalkeeper Donal Og Cusack, another hugely focused sportsman, at the victory banquet at the Burlington Hotel.

    Cork mightn’t be the easiest team to love and certainly the football they played this year wasn’t always the easiest to watch.

    But they finally got the best out of themselves when it counted most - in the second half of the All-Ireland final.

    Hard work, commitment and talent aren’t always rewarded in sport, but yesterday Cork got what they deserved.

Home Away Date Time Venue
London Leitrim 03.06.2012 3:00 Ruislip
Longford Wexford 03.06.2012 2:00 Croke Park
Louth Dublin 03.06.2012 4:00 Croke Park
Clare Limerick 09.06.2012 7:00 Cusack Park, Ennis or Gaelic Grounds, Limerick

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Home Score Away Score Date Venue
Roscommon 0-10 Galway 3-15 20.05 Hyde Park
Cavan 1-10 Donegal 1-16 20.05 Kingspan Breffni Park
Limerick 2-12 Waterford 0-7 20.05 Gaelic Grounds, Limerick
Westmeath 0-14 Louth 2-9 20.05 Navan

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