Cork hurlers’ recent woes at inter-county level have been mirrored by the Rebel County’s clubs, who have struggled to make any impact in the Munster Championship.
The Rebels haven’t lifted the Liam MacCarthy Cup since 2005 so by the time the 2018 season starts that will be 13 years - the second longest stretch they have gone without being All-Ireland champions in their storied history.
True, they made the final in 2013, and were only beaten after a replay, and there were green shoots of recovery in this year’s Munster title win, but they still seem to be a bit off the pace being set by Galway and Tipperary at the moment.
The recent record of Cork’s clubs once they get outside the county bounds is even more unimpressive.
Since the Munster Club Hurling Championship started in 1964, Rebel outfits have won 17 titles - well ahead of Tipperary with 12.
The standard of clubs in Cork has dropped. The city powerhouses aren’t what they were - Donal O'Grady
But they haven’t won a senior provincial title since 2009, which was one of the last acts of the great Newtownshandrum team that won three Munster crowns and the 2004 All-Ireland title.
A Cork club hasn’t won an All-Ireland since St Patrick's Day 13 years ago and before last season’s losing final appearance to Clare’s Ballyea by Glen Rovers, it was eight years between finals for clubs from the county.
On Sunday, Blackrock go into their Munster semi-final with 2016 All-Ireland champions Na Piarsaigh as heavy underdogs. In fact, they’re the rank outsiders of the four clubs left in the competition, Ballygunner and Sixmilebridge being the others.
No doubt, this is partly because the Rockies aren’t actually Cork county champions - that’s Imokilly, who aren’t allowed to play in the province under GAA rules as they are a divisional side made up of players from junior and intermediate units.
Whatever the reason, the fact remains that the Rebels haven’t been able to cut it at club level for years now.
"In the sixties, seventies, eighties and into the nineties, Cork clubs were always there or thereabouts and they dominated at stages," said Donal O’Grady, an All-Ireland winner as a player and manager with Cork and as a player with St Finbarr’s.
"The city clubs aren’t as strong as they used to be. We have Cork teams with few or no players from Glen Rovers, Finbarr’s, Blackrock, Bishopstown.
"Back in the seventies and eighties there’d be four or five from Blackrock, two or three from Glen Rovers, the same from the Barrs.
"There are less players coming in from outside the city to work joining those clubs now - they’re travelling back to play with their home clubs and that has played its part."
And O’Grady has a point. Cork won a three in-a-row of All-Irelands in the late seventies with teams backboned by city players.
Through the seventies The Rockies, Rovers and Barrs shared nine Munster titles and seven All-Irelands between them - that’s serious going. Between them, those three clubs have nearly 100 county senior titles, but the Rockies haven’t won one since 2002 and the ‘Barrs last came in ’93.
Cork’s last golden age, when they won three All-Irelands between 1999 and 2005, was backboned by Newtown players who achieved success at club level too. The Rebels, under O’Grady, even adopted their short-passing game with the county.
This decade Cork titles have been shared around by Sarsfields, another city club, a resurgent Blackrock, though the don’t contribute too many players to the county set-up, Carrigtwohill, Midleton and Imokilly.
"The standard of clubs in Cork has dropped," stated O’Grady. "The city powerhouses aren’t what they were."
Another problem area that he pinpoints is the standard of forwards around the county at the moment. Patrick Horgan won an All Star this week and he was excellent throughout year, though Cork relied heavily on his scoring returns.
"Look at Ballyhale when they were dominating - they had Henry Shefflin and TJ Reid. Portumna and Newtownshandrum were the same when they were on top - they all had a number of brilliant forwards.
"Patrick Horgan was the only Cork forward that you’d consider for an All Star this year. For a club to win an All-Ireland they need at least two forwards like him."
