How to Motivate a Cork Team

1st Jun 2010

Wow! What a victory over Tipperary last Sunday. In post-match interviews several Cork players mentioned that pre-match references to the players being over the hill where what drove them on to slaughter the Premier boys and show everyone that they really mean business this season.

It's a curiously consistent theme in GAA interviews where players cite being written off as their primary motivation during a match.

Chalk it down

If that's the case why don't we all do the obvious and pretend we're writing off every player before the game? If it did the trick last Sunday then the players shouldn't be praised until they're standing in Parnell Place with Liam McCarthy in hand.

As immoral as this might feel, how about in the lead up to the Munster semi-final with Limerick we make up loads of ridiculous statements about Cork players and print them on banners and stick them up around town.

"Lads, is that a hurley or a walking stick?"

Or take out ads in newspapers that claim "Aisake couldn't catch a cold".

So...eh...this is Aisake and Naughton taking a break at a Cork training session*

Every Cork journalist and ex-player contributing views in the media should say Cork haven't a chance of wining the All-Ireland this year, that the Tipp game was a fluke and the Premier boys were just saving themselves for Kilkenny in the final.

So...as far as we're concerned Hoggie's goals were flukes, Niall Mac's sensational sideline point was blown in by the wind and Donal Óg just fell over with his stick when he made that (amazing) save.

On second thoughts, aside from the dishonesty of it all, it's probably a bad idea. Any more provocation of top players like Curran and Aisake and they might start plucking low flying aircraft out of the sky.

Bring on Limerick.

* If you have the lads' phone numbers, email or facetwitter addresses send them a link to this image the night before the Munster semi final. It should ensure victory.