Patrick Horgan retiring without a cup would be devastating – but not ...

IT would be a crying shame if Patrick Horgan were to hang up his hurl without a Celtic Cross — but that’s life and that’s sport.

You could say the same about so many great hurlers down the years.For me the biggest heartbreakers were the Waterford trio of Ken McGrath, Paul Flynn and Tony Browne.

They’re three of the greatest players we’ve seen.

And it was fitting that as Browne brought the curtain down on 23 years’ service in April 2014, the baton was being passed to his Mount Sion colleague Aussie Gleeson, who made his debut that month and followed in the Déise trio’s footsteps.

I played against so many hurlers who did not come out the right side on the game’s biggest day, like Jimmy Smyth in Clare.

It would be great to see Horgan join the ranks of All-Ireland-winning hurlers because there is no better feeling than having that Celtic Cross.

But at 36, time is ticking and nobody in Clare will hand the four-time All-Star attacker a medal.

He must go and earn it and must be tuned into what’s coming his way.

The Rebels are here. Nobody gave them a chance three months ago when Pat Ryan’s men lost their first two Championship games.

Having endured the longest drought in their history, Cork can take inspiration from their jubilee team of 1999, who will be honoured today — although Ryan will obviously not be pitchside for that.

You have got to take your chance in All-Ireland finals.

And ‘Hoggie’ needs no reminding of that.

His tenth point of the 2013 decider looked like being the winner before Clare corner-back Domhnall O’Donovan put over the unlikeliest of levellers — and the Banner won the replay.

But the Glen Rovers man can sleep easy for the rest of his days if Cork end their famine this afternoon.