Win will help Cork climb up the ladder, says Brian Hurley

BY KIERAN McCARTHY

WHEN Brian Hurley joined the Cork senior panel in 2012, the Rebels won the Division 1 league title, the Munster final and reached the last four of the All-Ireland series. That was a time when Cork were genuine contenders for the big prizes and before he hands his jersey on to the next person, Hurley wants to restore Cork to those heights.

Days like last Saturday, beating Ulster champions Donegal, help fuel the belief that Cork are making progress – but the Rebels captain isn’t satisfied, he wants this team to be more than a side that just takes a scalp.

‘I have been here since 2012, that’s when I walked in the door and Cork were one of the top teams in the country. Whenever it’s over I want Cork to be at the same level as when I came in, if not higher,’ Hurley told The Southern Star.

‘We have a very good group, we have put a lot of work into this, and we have seen glimpses of what we are capable of.

‘I thought we let ourselves down at times in the second half, we had a few counterattacks, including my own, that we should have driven on. We made it a bit tight in the end but we trusted the process and in the end it worked.’

Hurley knows how important wins against teams like Donegal are, but he’s not surprised Cork are sitting top of Group 3 after two wins in a row – this should be the norm for this group, the Castlehaven man feels.

‘Morale is going to be very high after that, but I don’t think anyone is overly surprised. We targeted this game, but there’s another big test to come (against Tyrone) no matter what happened against Donegal. We need to get the bodies right and go again,’ Hurley said, as focus switches to the final group tie against Tyrone.