Cork boss John Meyler believes that they owe ace forward Patrick Horgan an All-Ireland medal for his consistent brilliance.
The 31-year-old has started the Championship in blistering form, hitting 0-14 in Cork’s defeat to Tipperary before shooting 1-9 as they bounced back with a win over All-Ireland champions Limerick last Sunday.
Earlier this month, Horgan’s former teammate Diarmuid O’Sullivan expressed his frustration at how he believes the Glen Rovers man is underrated but Meyler places him alongside the very best forwards over the past decade.
He said: “Horgan has been the best forward over the last 10 years with Joe Canning and TJ Reid. There’s absolutely no doubt about that.
“TJ Reid has the All-Ireland medals, Joe has one, Hoggy doesn’t have one but Hoggy is in the top three forwards over the last 10 years and there’s no debate, there’s no issue over that.
“He has been fantastic. He has led Cork on his own, from play, from frees, from everything and he’s the first at training, he’s the first out on the pitch, he’s a consummate professional athlete and he deserves great credit and great praise. He’s just short an All-Ireland medal and that’s it.”
Horgan made his Championship debut for Cork back in 2008 but the closest he’s come to winning an All-Ireland was in 2013, when he appeared to have scored the winning point against Clare only for the game to go to a replay which was won by the Banner.
In 2017 he surpassed Christy Ring as Cork’s all-time top scorer in Championship hurling though he probably doesn’t command the number of plaudits that more decorated players have.
Meyler continued: “I don’t need anybody to praise Patrick Horgan. If you stand back and look at Patrick Horgan and see what he does in games, he is incredible.
“He is a superb hurler, frees, play, skill, attention to detail, first at training, absolutely the way he carries himself, the way he carries himself on and off the pitch is superb. Joe Canning the same. TJ Reid the same.
“It’s just that Hoggy needs an All-Ireland medal to convince people but if you’ve to be convinced about Horgan then…
“He scored a point there against Tipperary from a phone box. The way he took the ball down for the goal last Sunday against Limerick, lost two players, just turned, in, goal. Looks easy, looks simple. It’s so easy and looks so simple, why? Because he’s such an artist.
“He’s owed an All-Ireland medal, he’s owed an All-Ireland medal that we have to work an awful lot harder in the upcoming games to deliver that to him but he certainly deserves one.
“If anyone deserves one, Hoggy does.”
The only members of the Cork senior hurling team with celtic crosses medals are Eoin Cadogan and Aidan Walsh, who were part of the victorious football team in 2010, and both played key roles in last Sunday’s win over Limerick.
“We went after Cads last year because one, he has an All-Ireland medal,” Meyler explained. “He knows how to win.
“He was on the Australian Rules team for five or six caps, so he is a strong character and never let us down last year.”
He added: “Walsh is possibly with Ellis, with Cadogan, Damien Cahalane, he is an incredible athlete.
“He gave that team performance, which is an example to young players. You don’t necessarily have to score five points to play well.”
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