After the weekend that was, it may be expedient for the people of Cork to bump rowing ahead of Gaelic football in the list of the county's favourite sports.
The county's footballers emerged from Fraher Field on Saturday evening by the skin of their teeth, eeking out a dramatic one-point win against a side who finished ahead of only Wicklow and London in this year's National League.
The decline of Cork has been as much a story in Munster football as the rise of Tipperary and Clare over the last couple of years, and the Munster semi-final between Tipperary and Cork will be fascinating for the reason that Cork will be the underdogs.
Kerry legend Tomás O'Sé is playing his club football with Nemo Rangers in Cork these days, and he was extremely critical of the Cork management team after their non-performance against Waterford.
Speaking on the Sunday Game, O'Sé doubts that Cork are suffering from a lack of talent:
It's a tough time being a Cork footballer at the moment. All credit to Waterford, they put up a great performance but Cork should be going down to Waterford and winning.
You talk in GAA in football about tactics and passion and belief... confidence. This Cork team hasn't been playing with that for the last two years.
The players, I feel, are there. I'm playing club football in Cork. I've seen the players and with the underage teams they have produced in the last few years... they have won 10 under-21 titles in the last 14 years in Munster. There is some problem between under-21 and senior level.I don't for the life of me understand how Cork can't blend a team.
He attributes some of the underperformance to the management of Peadar Healy, and a management team not performing either tactically or from a leadership point of view:
The job of the management is to have a team tactically ready. Waterford parked the bus and Cork looked as though they were playing a defensive team for the first time in their lives.
They are capable of putting up big performances but they are so few and far between.
I do think the management have a lot to answer for. They are in charge, they need to lead, they need to instill confidence. People in Cork are disgusted with the way things are turning out.
I have no doubt that Peadar Healy and his management are good GAA men but I'm not sure are they up to the job of leading this team.
It would be something different if you said they definitely don't have the players, they definitely don't have the talent but that's not true, they do have the players coming through.
I think the county board have a lot to answer for. You put people in these positions, you get results after it. I think there is a lot of work to be done in the short term and long term.
They won All-Irelands in 1989 and 90. They won an All-Ireland in 2010. I think Conor McCarthy might be involved with the backroom team but no one else.
You look back at years gone and what Billy Morgan did with teams and the way he inspried them. I don't think they are inspired. They look like a team that's like a herd of sheep going into a field for the first time and cutting loose around the place.
There's no organisation or anything there and it's sad.
I don't say that in any enjoyment, I'd love if Cork were going well.
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