Waterford legend makes damning prediction ahead of Cork showdown

This is a big call.

The Cork hurler's season was going swimmingly until it wasn't.

Their draw with All-Ireland champions Clare in their Munster SHC first-round clash was seen as a good wake up call for the Rebels, before they returned to normality in round two with a 2-27 to 0-24 win over Tipperary.

But after being put to the sword by Limerick at the Gaelic Grounds last weekend, they find themselves up against a dogged Waterford side tomorrow in what is now a knockout game for a place in the All-Ireland quarter-finals.

While they did make the final last year, they failed to qualify out of Munster in 2023 under manager Pat Ryan, and Déise legend, John Mullane, reckons that if it happens again, it will spell the end of his reign.

In his column with the Irish Independent, he wrote: "Few were predicting that Cork would have to pick themselves up off the floor at this stage of the championship.

"That’s the position Pat Ryan has found himself in over the past week after the Rebels were steamrolled by the green machine last Sunday.

"There’s definitely more pressure on Cork, though, because a loss would likely signal the end of the road for Ryan on the back of his side missing out on Munster qualification in two of the last three years, as well as possibly some big retirements."