Joe Deane

Personal life

Deane was born in Killeagh, County Cork in November 1977. He attended St. Fergal's National School in Killeagh, before later completing his secondary schooling at Midleton CBS Secondary School.

Deane graduated from University College Cork with a BSc in finance and currently works as a Credit Manager with AIB in Cork.

College

In 1995 Deane was a key member of the forward line as Midleton CBS Secondary School faced Lismore CBS in the Munster colleges decider. Deane scored 2–1 as Midleton powered to a 3–18 to 3–5 victory and the Harty Cup title. St. Raphael's of Loughrea provided the opposition in the subsequent All-Ireland final. Deane had another day of sharp shooting and bagged 3–1, however, St. Raphael's claimed the championship with a 3–10 to 3–5 victory.

University

During his studies at University College Cork Deane excelled at both football and Gaelic football. In 1996 he won an All-Ireland medal with the freshers football team while also lining out with the UCC hurling team. A 3–16 to 0–16 defeat of the University of Limerick in the decider gave Deane his first Fitzgibbon Cup medal.

In 1997 University College Cork hosted the inter-varsities championship and reached the final once again. A 0–14 to 1–8 defeat of the Garda College allowed UCC retain the title and give Deane a second Fitzgibbon Cup medal.

Deane added a third successive Fitzgibbon Cup medal to his collection in 1998, as UCC secured the three-in-a-row following a 2–17 to 0–13 defeat of the Waterford Institute of Technology.

Club

In 1995 Deane was just out of the minor grade when he helped his club Killeagh to the final of the county junior championship. A 3–9 to 0–8 trouncing of Ballinhassig gave him his a Cork Junior Hurling Championship medal.

Deane also lined out with University College Cork in the county senior championship. In 1999 UCC faced Blackrock in the decider, however, a rout took place. Deane was limited to just three points as he was moved from full-forward to centre-forward and into corner-forward. A 3–17 to 0–8 defeat was the result.

In 2001 Deane tasted further success with Killeagh when the club faced Mallow in the county intermediate championship final. A 2–14 apiece draw was followed by an exciting replay which saw Deane score two key goals. A 3–9 to 2–8 victory gave Killeagh the title and gave Deane a championship medal.

Minor and under 21

Deane first played for Cork as a dual minor in 1995. After being shocked by Tipperary in the Munster football decider, he later collected a Munster medal with the hurlers following a 3–18 to 0–10 trouncing of Waterford. Cork later qualified for the All-Ireland final against Kilkenny with Deane lining out at full-forward. The game turned into a rout as Cork won easily by 2–10 to 1–2, giving Deane an All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship medal.

The following year Deane moved onto the Cork under-21 team. He won a Munster medal in his first year with the team, following a 3–16 to 2–7 defeat of Clare.

Deane missed Cork's second successive Munster under-21 crown, however, he was restored to his usual left corner-forward position for their subsequent All-Ireland showdown with Galway. Cork made amends for their defeat by Galway in the previous year's semi-final with a 3–11 to 0–13 victory. Not only was in Deane's first All-Ireland medal but it was Cork's 100th All-Ireland championship in the history of the Gaelic Athletic Association.

1998 saw Cork maintaining their provincial under-21 dominance with Deane collecting a second Munster medal following a 3–18 to 1–10 victory over Tipperary. For the second year in-a-row Cork later faced Galway in the All-Ireland decider. In a close game Cork just about secured a 2–15 to 2–10 victory, with Deane adding a second All-Ireland medal to his collection.

Beginnings

On 19 November 1995 Deane made his senior debut for Cork in a 2–16 to 1–13 National Hurling League defeat of Kerry. He was subsequently included on Cork's 1996 championship panel and made his debut on 26 May 1996 in a 3–18 to 1–8 Munster quarter-final trouncing by Limerick. It was Cork's first home defeat in the championship in seventy-five years.

Deane enjoyed his first senior success in 1998. A 2–14 to 0–13 defeat of Waterford gave him a National Hurling League medal.

After a seven-year hiatus Cork claimed the provincial title in 1999. A 1–15 to 0–14 defeat of three-in-a-row hopefuls Clare gave goal-scorer Deane his first Munster medal. Cork later faced Kilkenny in the All-Ireland decider on 12 September 1999. In a dour contest played on a wet day, Cork trailed by 0–5 to 0–4 after a low-scoring first half. Kilkenny increased the pace after the interval, pulling into a four-point lead. Cork moved up a gear and through Deane, Ben O'Connor and Seánie McGrath Cork scored five unanswered points. Kilkenny could only manage one more score – a point from a Henry Shefflin free – and Cork held out to win by 0–13 to 0–12. It was Deane's first All-Ireland medal. He later won his first All-Star.

Deane won a second Munster medal in 2000, as Cork retained their title following a 0–23 to 3–12 defeat of Tipperary. In spite of surrendering their All-Ireland crown to Offaly at the semi-final stage, Deane was later honoured by collecting a second All-Star award.

Embarrassing defeats for Cork in 2001 and 2002 saw the team reach rock bottom and call a players' strike just before Christmas in 2002. Deane played a huge role as one of the main spokesmen in representing the welfare of his fellow players. Had the strike failed it could have meant the end of his and his teammates' careers, however, in the end the county board relented and met the demands.

Back-to-back successes

In 2003 Cork's players were vindicated in taking a stand as the team won the provincial decider following an exciting 3–16 to 3–12 defeat of Waterford. The subsequent All-Ireland final on 14 September 2003 saw COrk face Kilkenny for the first time in four years. Both teams remained level for much of the game, exchanging tit-for-tat scores. A Setanta Ó hAilpín goal gave Cork the advantage, however, a Martin Comerford goal five minutes from the end settled the game as Kilkenny went on to win by 1–14 to 1–11. Deane later added a third All-Star to his collection.

After facing a narrow 3–16 to 1–21 defeat by Waterford in one of the greatest Munster finals of all-time in 2004, Cork worked their way through the qualifiers and lined out against Kilkenny in the All-Ireland decider on 12 September 2004. The game was expected to be a classic, however, a rain-soaked day made conditions difficult as Kilkenny aimed to secure a third successive championship. The first half was a low-scoring affair and provided little excitement for fans, however, the second half saw Cork completely take over. For the last twenty-three minutes Cork scored nine unanswered points and went on to win the game by 0–17 to 0–9. It was Deane's second All-Ireland medal.

Deane won his fourth Munster medal in 2005 following a 1–21 to 1–16 defeat of old rivals Tipperary. On 11 September 2005 Cork faced surprise semi-final winners Galway in the All-Ireland decider. A sixteenth minute Ben O'Connor goal gave Cork the platform needed to withstand a Galway fightback through a Damien Hayes goal, which brought Galway within a point with twenty-one minutes remaining. Galway failed to score for the last ten minutes as Cork claimed a 1–21 to 1–16 score line. It was Deane's third All-Ireland medal.

Cork retained their provincial crown in 2006. Goalkeeper Donal Óg Cusack stopped two certain goals in the first half to help Cork to a 2–14 to 1–4 victory and a fifth Munster medal for Deane. On 3 September 2006 Cork had the opportunity to become the first side in nearly thirty years to secure three successive All-Ireland champions as they faced Kilkenny in the decider. Like previous encounters neither side took a considerable lead, however, Kilkenny had a vital goal from Aidan Fogarty. Cork were in arrears coming into the final few minutes, however, Ben O'Connor scored a late goal for Cork. It was too little too late as the Cats denied Cork on a score line of 1–16 to 1–13.

Cancer battle

In the build-up to the All-Ireland final Deane had noticed a hardening of one of his testicles but ignored it. By early October a noticeable swelling prompted a formal visit to his doctor and within a few days of that visit the testicle was two or three times the size of the other one. A CT scan revealed that it was cancerous and that small traces had also shown up in his stomach. While rumours about his illness had been circulating in hurling circles for several weeks, Deane refused to confirm the nature of his illness until after the surgery. Good-will cards flooded in from many of his past and present foes on the playing field, including the entire Tipperary team. Deane underwent surgery at the Bons Secours hospital in Cork in November and the possibility of chemotherapy was raised. On a visit to his oncologist it was revealed that the traces of cancer in the blood had dissipated, and there would be no need for treatment.

Deane returned to competitive inter-county hurling on 21 January 2007 when he was introduced as a substitute in a 2–10 to 1–11 defeat of the Cork Institute of Technology in the Waterford Crystal Cup.

Retirement

In spite of having contested the four previous All-Ireland finals, Cork's fortunes took a downturn over the following few years. Deane played his last championship game for Cork on 10 August 2008 in a 1–23 to 0–17 All-Ireland semi-final defeat by Kilkenny.

A winter of discontent followed for the Cork senior hurling team following the unwanted reappointment of Gerald McCarthy as manager. Following a strike by the players McCarthy eventually stepped down in March 2009. In spite of being one of the striking players, Deane decided to retire from inter-county hurling on 20 April 2009.

Inter-provincial

Deane represented Munster in the inter-provincial series of games. He was first called up to the provinvial team in 1999, however, it was 2000 before he enjoyed success. A 3–15 to 2–15 defeat of Leinster gave Deane his sole Railway Cup medal.

Team

Individual