BY SEÁN HOLLAND
LIKE a beautiful tapestry, Patrick Horgan’s prestigious career has been woven with scoring records, Munster medals, and All-Stars, yet missing is the one thread that could weave it all together: an All-Ireland senior medal.
You ask any hurling fan in the country: Who's the greatest player to have never won it all?
Patrick Horgan will be your answer.
Does this lack of one particular medal define the player and his career? Will people think differently of the Glen Rovers man if the Rebels can’t get over the line on Sunday? You play sport for the love of the game, the memories, and the relationships you create along the way. Horgan’s view is no different.
‘I'm not aiming 17 years towards one day,’ Horgan said.
‘That doesn't mean I haven't had good times. I’ve had good days down through the years and the amount of stories you have from match-days and training going down through the years, 17 years of my life has been coming here, hanging out with the boys, new fellas coming in, getting to know them, becoming great friends with them. That means a lot to me.
‘Obviously, it would be unbelievable if we could get across the line, but it can't be just about that. In your hurling career, it's lovely to get it (All-Ireland medal) and everybody wants to have it and I’m no different. But I'd look over a long time and say "Did I enjoy it or didn't enjoy it”, and I did enjoy it,’ the Cork forward added.
GOING STRONG: Patrick Horgan celebrates scoring Cork's goal late in the 2013 All-Ireland SHC semi-final against Dublin. Ten years later he is back in another final.
His love for hurling is palpable. Even when speaking at the pre All-Ireland final media evening, Horgan had his hurley no more than two feet away from him, placed carefully on the table with the sliotar sitting next to it. When asked if he is enjoying his hurling more than ever, he replied affirmatively, emphasising that his enjoyment comes from the game itself rather than the rewards it brings.
‘If I didn't love it as much as I did, I wouldn't play at all. There'd be no reason to. Even to win the Limerick game, for me it wasn't the reward of winning the match at all, it was like we get another training session, back with the boys. We'd all be together and we’d get on really well, obviously,’ he explained.
Horgan has had a stellar career in the red jersey. In the recent All-Ireland semi-final against Limerick, he surpassed the 700 championship points mark. To reach such a milestone speaks volumes on the effort, perseverance and luck he’s needed to get to this point in his career. His dedication to the sport is evident in every match he plays, every training session he attends, and every moment he spends honing his skills but Horgan knows he’s had a lot of luck along the way too.
‘You could be flying and then you could pick up a knock. You could be out for three or four months. You might miss the championship then because it came at the wrong time. Then next year, it's all the fight for places again. Some other fella comes in and he's flying and you're in a competition for a place you might not get it. Then that's two years gone. You have to be lucky along the way as well and I have been really lucky, I have to say that’, he admitted.
As we all know, you don’t just walk onto an intercounty team. It takes hard work to get to that point and it’s even harder to stay there. Still, Horgan admitted that early in his career he was doing too much.
‘Definitely early on, when I started playing I was overtraining. I was on the pitch at five, when we were training at seven. Then we'd have a two-hour session, and I’d be on the field four hours and I’d be worn out. There's so much more going on in a game and when you realise that, your training routine changes. So definitely early on, I definitely did too much,’ he admitted. Horgan didn’t want to listen so his trainers and coaches went to extreme measures to not let him burn out.
‘I wasn't listening, but I was barred from the pitch and everything for a while!’ the Cork legend revealed.
‘Remember the old Páirc? The two big red gates, they were just closed, not a hope. Barred out of the Glen field as well. Then the game started to change and we started thinking differently about the matches. The training routine changed. So it's not all about the time you put in, it's the quality time,’ he noted.
It’s a familiar foe lying in wait for Horgan and Cork this Sunday in the shape of Clare. It was back in 2013 when Cork were cruelly caught at the finish line at the same stage. Horgan pointed late which he thought was the winner, only for Clare corner back Donal O’Donovan to step up with the equaliser. The Banner went on to win the replay breaking Cork hearts. That game remains a significant moment in Horgan’s career. When asked how often he thinks of it, he responded with a mixture of humor and regret.
‘It's probably every day,’ he quipped.
‘Nah, I'm only joking. Obviously, it was disappointing at the time. We probably should have got over the line, and we didn't. It stung for a while after, yeah. But after that, it was a case of getting back to what you loved doing. You can think of that and it'll affect you going forward or else just try to forget about it and improve.’
The Glen Rovers man did get back to what he loves doing and it has brought him to this point in his career. His third All-Ireland final, a chance for redemption, a chance to win that elusive Celtic Cross, and although a loss won't diminish an illustrious career, it's a chance to add that final thread to complete a beautiful Cork hurling masterpiece.
