By John Harrington

Patrick Horgan believes the Cork hurlers are a better team now than when they lost last year’s All-Ireland SHC Hurling semi-final to Waterford.

They’ve now won back to back Munster SHC titles, and the young players who performed so well in their rookie season last year have gone from strength to strength this year.

Physically and mentally, Horgan believes they’re better equipped to go at least one step further now than they did in 2017.

“We're unbeaten now in Munster in a lot of games,” said Horgan who was today announced as the PwC GAA-GPA Hurler of the Month for June.

“I think we're a better team as well. Probably because of our experience of last year.

“Of being in a Munster Final and winning it and winning it again this year, we're a lot more relaxed going into games as a team and we kind of know what we have to do more now than ever before.

“We won't know until it happens, but I think there's something different about it. Not something different about the team because it's the same team, but I think the experience of getting there again, it's a lot more calm.”

Horgan has played in six previous All-Ireland SHC semi-finals for Cork, and lost five of them.

He knows better than most how it feels to have your season ended at this stage of the Championship, and doesn’t mind admitting the shine will be taken from his Munster medal if Cork can’t now take the next step by beating Limerick in the All-Ireland SHC semi-final on Sunday week.

“Even after the Munster Final there was no real celebration,” said Horgan. “It wasn't a big win for us, you know?

“I think fellas the following Wednesday just wanted to go training again and get back in there.

“Because we know we need to be 15, 20 per cent better than the Munster Final to even compete in the semi-final of the All-Ireland.

“Hopefully we're after making that jump and we've another week and a half to go as well.

“It's one of them things where we understand what it is to win Munster but in the years that we haven't gone on to do better, the year wasn't much good.

“There's no point celebrating something if the year as a whole isn't going to end up much good to you and you look back on it as a disappointment.

“Hopefully we can just push on and take another step.”

Cork’s hopes of doing just that have been boosted by the return to fitness of Mark Ellis. The centre-back missed the Munster SHC Final victory over Clare with a groin strain, but has trained fully with the panel for the past two weeks.