4 days Ago By Paul Dollery
CORK will let others talk the talk as Shane Kingston insisted the hype train will not be to blame if their Championship ambitions are derailed.Twenty years since the Liam MacCarthy Cup resided on the banks of the Lee, the Rebels find themselves in the unusual position of entering a campaign as All-Ireland favourites.As newly minted National League champions, they will look to carry their impressive form into Sunday’s Munster SHC opener against Clare.
The mouthwatering showdown in Ennis is a rematch of last year’s All-Ireland final, which saw the Banner prevail after extra-time.Cork have already looked like a vastly improved outfit in 2025, leading many pundits to tip them to go one better.Speaking at the launch of the ‘eir for all’ Poc Tapa Challenge, Kingston, 27, said: “We’re kind of aware of the hype and it’s irrelevant to us really.
“It’s outside noise and it’s irrelevant to us, whether things are going well or going bad.“We’re just kind of focused on ourselves and trying to get the most out of ourselves in each training session, each game and let people talk away as much as they want.”By reaching last summer’s Croke Park showpiece, Cork defied a dismal start that saw them beaten by Waterford and Clare.
Limerick have dominated Munster, bagging six titles in a row since Kingston helped Cork to consecutive provincial triumphs in 2017 and ’18.The experienced Rebels forward, now in his tenth year on the panel, continued: “We know how competitive the Munster Championship is going to be.“Trying to get out of Munster is a big task.
We’re going to let people talk as much as they want but we’re all focused on what we have to do over the coming weeks. “If the media want to hype things up, it’s kind of outside noise so it’s irrelevant to us really.”A significant turning point for this Cork team was last May’s epic Munster victory over Limerick as the Rebels salvaged their season in a must-win game.
And Kingston made a telling impact off the bench.His superb solo run, which was illegally halted by Kyle Hayes, engineered the late penalty from which Patrick Horgan bagged a decisive goal.Asked if Cork are a more confident outfit in 2025, Kingston stated: “The belief among the group was always there.
“Maybe it was the public that didn’t really have the belief and they’re the ones kind of hyping everything up now, whereas we kind of knew what we were about all the time.“We were unfortunate for the last number of years where things didn’t go our way really.“We were always focused and knew the capabilities among the group and we’re still focused on driving on really.
eir ambassador Kingston at the launch of the third annual ‘eir for all’ Poc Tapa Challenge“People are hyping things up but that’s kind of got nothing to do with us.”The recent ten-point win over Tipperary yielded Cork’s first National League title since 1998.Kingston admitted: “That national title as such is something that none of us had, so it’s great.
“But it’s a league medal. It’s not the one we really want so we have to kind of park it there now and move on.”CORK forward Shane Kingston was speaking at the launch of the ‘eir for all’ Poc Tapa Challenge.
eir, Ireland’s leading telecommunications provider, is calling on GAA clubs to take part in the ‘eir for all’ Poc Tapa Challenge to be in with a chance to win up to €5,000 for their club and play on the hallowed turf of Croke Park on All Ireland semi-final day. For information on how to enter, follow @eir.ireland or visit eir.
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