Cork hurler Darragh Fitzgibbon says their win over Limerick in the Munster Championship in May gave his side a boost of confidence.
Prior to the win, Cork lost their opening two games of the provincial championship to Waterford and Clare, and faced the All-Ireland champions needing victory.
In one of the best games in the championship, Fitzgibbon was crucial to Cork securing a famous 3-28 to 3-26 victory in Páirc Uí Chaoimh, in a win Fitzgibbon said showed what the Rebels are capable of.
“It was just to get confidence to the players and the whole group. What we were working on, was working, and we could use that to gain confidence further.
“Everyone talked about the scenes after, but I think the Cork crowd were expressing an emotional response to what we done, the players were well aware of that.
“We were happy with what we did, but we knew we had to go again next week. There was no sense of us getting ahead of ourselves, we knew we had a huge job ahead like we did against Dublin and Offaly.
“When you get those wins, it is a sign that what you are doing is working, so it has given us a lot of confidence.”
The sides meet once again in this weekend’s All-Ireland semi-final, with Limerick chasing history as they aim to become the first team to win five All-Ireland hurling titles in a row.
Limerick come into the game as Munster champions once again, while Cork are on a four-game winning streak.
While Cork may have momentum behind them, Fitzgibbon says Cork need to be even better than they were in their win over Limerick in May.
“Limierick are such a good side, they are very good at reacting at what you are good at and what you are able to do. We know that if we bring the exact same thing as we brought the last time, it won’t be good enough. We need to bring more.
“We are well aware of the challenge that is coming, and how difficult the challenge is and how good they are.
“You look at their players at 1-15, they are all exceptional players. Their ability to be able to adjust to the change you are trying to bring against them is very tough.
“You need everything to go right for the full 70 minutes to have any chance against them. You can see over the last couple of years, they have been asked every type of question, and they have answered.”
The last time the sides met in Croke Park was the 2021 All-Ireland final, which resulted in a 3-32 to 1-22 win for Limerick.
While many of the current Cork squad were not involved, the memories of their last visit to Croke Park will likely be in the memories of fans.
The Cork midfielder claims the 2021 final will not play a factor, and admitted Limerick would have beaten anyone on that day.
“It is a completely different team really and a completely different backroom team. We didn’t perform well the last day, but Limerick were just exceptional that day, and whatever team they would have met that day, it would have been a similar result.
“We are looking forward to getting back to Croke Park, because it is where everyone wants to be.”
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
