Advertisement League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories Patrick Horgan.Dan Sheridan/INPHO FreeMunster CHampionship 'If they think it's gone, they can race me' - Hoggie lays down challenge to critics Cork talisman Patrick Horgan on expectation that comes with being the leading league scorer and another championship campaign at 36. 7.01am, 19 Apr 2025 Share options PATRICK HORGAN HAS a simple enough message for anyone who thinks his speed is gone; “Race me!” He doesn’t even say it with any sort of wry smile, frustration or indignation anymore. There was a time, earlier in his 30s, when constantly being told he was nearing retirement bugged him. “At this stage I don’t mind,” shrugged the soon to be 37-year-old. “If they think it’s gone, they can race me.” Doubt there’ll be too many takers. Records continue to tumble like dominoes in front of the Glen Rovers man who, already the Championship’s leading scorer of all time, recently became the leading scorer in the history of the National League. He is speaking to us at a media day for Centra who have extended their sponsorship of the hurling Championship for another five years. Kilkenny’s TJ Reid is in another room, answering similar questions about advancing age and when he’s going to put away his own hurl. The pair have been duking it out for several seasons for the Championship’s top scorer crown and will do it all again this summer. Kilkenny will get going this evening, at home to Galway. Tomorrow, Horgan and Cork, the All-Ireland favourites, will head to Ennis to face the All-Ireland holders, Clare. Another barnburner most likely. You put it to Horgan that he may have called a halt to all of this long ago if he’d won the All-Ireland in 2013, at Clare’s expense. His 10th point of the drawn final that year put Cork one up on Clare in the 71st minute. Horgan wheeled away in delight, faced the crowd and punched the air. On commentary, Ger Canning wondered, ‘Can he be the match winner? Will this be the winner of the All-Ireland?’ Advertisement With son Jack speaking to GAA President Jarlath Burns after the league final.James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO “I enjoyed it for about two seconds,” said Horgan, looking back and wincing at the memory of what followed. “All I can remember is the shot. It wasn’t even near the posts, it was straight over the black spot.” He’s referring to Domhnall O’Donovan, of course, the unlikely scorer of the point for Clare that cancelled out Horgan’s pot shot at history and sent the final to a replay, which Clare won. A dozen years on, some of the Clare players that featured in 2013 now have a second medal, from 2024. Horgan is still chasing his first. Not that it defines him or his career. He’s adamant that he’d still be here, at hurling’s coalface, even if Domhnall O’Donovan had never existed. “Yeah, I’d say I would,” he maintained. “Even in the last few years, whenever I’m asked when will I go, will I go if I win one? I always say it has nothing to do with winning All-Irelands. It doesn’t. “Hopefully some day, if we do get a chance to do it, I’ll get a chance to say it then, that it actually doesn’t matter much. It would probably matter more to people around me and people that support me and support the team, than the actual players themselves. “We enjoy each other’s company so much and enjoy training. I said this before the All-Ireland last year, that you were thinking, ‘Jeez, this is going to be our last session now, we’re not going to be back here training for a while now after Sunday.’ And you would miss it.” Still, he wouldn’t be human if he didn’t look back in quieter moments and wonder, what if? He could have been the man who won the All-Ireland for Cork after all. “That’s my luck, my luck is terrible,” quipped Horgan, the wide grin suggesting it hasn’t caused him many sleepless nights since. Truthfully, he’s the luckiest man alive. Coming up on 20 years playing for Cork. A robust body, quick wit and sharp skillset have all sustained him. There’s still a burst of speed there too. “It could go any day,” he smiled. “The way I’m listening to it, it could go any day. I’m waking up in the morning thinking, ‘I wonder is it gone!’” After the league game against Tipperary.James Lawlor / INPHO James Lawlor / INPHO / INPHO Straightening up in his chair, he is keen to make a point about speed and skill and experience, and how much weight we should assign to them all. “Speed has nothing to do with hurling,” he insisted. “There’s a lot of other things that you can do to create space. Hurling is never down to one thing. It’s not your strength, your speed…look, your hurling skills obviously have to be at the top to play at the level we play at. But you could never just say someone is finished because one thing is gone. There are so many things you have to be good at. If you’re good at one and not good at the rest, you won’t survive.” Coming at it from that perspective, Horgan feels he’s a more complete hurler now, at 36 years of age, than he was back in 2013. “I think so, yeah,” he nodded. “I think overall awareness is better. And I’m probably…not probably actually, definitely, a better athlete than I was then. I’m not much of an athlete now but better than I was then.” Cork clearly still need him too, lean on him even. Horgan featured in all bar one of their league games as they claimed silverware for the first time since 1998. The married father-of-one started the last four games in the campaign. That’s despite manager Pat Ryan being surrounded by an arsenal of young talent. Ryan handed game time to 34 different players across the league campaign, 16 of whom started or came on in the All-Ireland U-20 final wins of 2020, 2021 and 2023. Horgan could be considered their leader. “I don’t see it that way,” he shot back. “There are so many leaders around the field, everybody goes along together and tries to help each other out as best they can. If a younger fella could help an older fella, he would and the same the other way around. 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