As we saw in the recent article about Dublin’s kits, in Gaelic games the suitability of goalkeeper jerseys can sometimes be an afterthought.
Therefore, it’s not a complete surprise that, in four championship games across Gaelic football and hurling so far this summer, Cork’s goalkeepers have worn four different kits.
The Rebel County launched a new jersey for 2019, following the same design of so many other counties over the past two years. The goalkeeper top has often been hooped over the years, but the new one was weighed more towards white.
In recent times, when a change has been required, often it has been the same style as the goalkeeper shirt, but when the Cork football team played Armagh in their final Division 2 league game, they were in a brand-new style, white with a red shoulder yoke.
However, for Cork’s first Munster hurling championship game against Tipperary in May, goalkeeper Anthony Nash was wearing one of these tops rather than the designated GK jersey.
A week later, Nash was back in the ‘normal’ shirt for the game away to Limerick, while a week after that, when the football team played Limerick in their first Munster championship game, custodian Mark White wore the change shirt with red shorts.
The hurling team’s most recent game was against Waterford last Sunday. Waterford play in white shirts with blue shorts and, while it hasn’t always been dealt with over the years, Cork tend to avoid having their goalkeepers wearing white against the Déise.
In the minor (U17) game played before the senior match, Cork goalkeeper Brion Saunderson wore the hooped version with no issues, but Nash was decked out in the blue jersey which had been used by the football team against Armagh.
Cork hurlers play their final Munster round-robin game against Clare this weekend. It’s unlikely that there will be another new goalkeeping kit combination, but you never know.
