John Cleary: Cork’s efforts to become more offensive cost Rebels in early Division 2 matches

BY KIERAN McCARTHY

JOHN Cleary feels Cork’s efforts to become a more attacking team cost his side in their early Division 2 games, but that they’re finding their stride now.

After hitting a total of 2-19 in their opening two games, the Rebels’ attacking returns have gradually improved as the campaign continued. While they scored 0-16 in the loss to Cavan in the third round, Cork were winless at that stage, but they have kicked 1-14, 2-15, 1-15 and 2-16 in the last four games, picking up seven points from a possible eight to move from bottom of Division 2 to fourth place.

The upturn in results can be traced back to Cork’s improved scoring rates, Cleary insists.

‘A lot of it was shot conversion,’ the Cork boss said when asked about those three opening defeats to Donegal, Louth and Cavan.

‘Up to last week we had 20 shots at goal but only scored five, and our shot conversion for points was somewhere around 50 to 60 percent. The last two games it has been over 70 per cent. We have worked a lot on that and it has borne fruit.

‘Armagh hadn’t conceded any goal up until (Saturday), and we scored two goals and 16 points. We scored 2-15 against Kildare, and 1-15 against Meath, and the big thing is we are converting our scores now that we hadn’t in the Louth and Cavan games.’

Cleary insists the group didn’t panic after the poor start to Division 2 that scuppered any thoughts of a promotion bid. Instead, their goal became securing Sam Maguire football for the summer: it’s mission accomplished after the draw against promoted Armagh last weekend. Still, this Cork team is a work in progress. While they finished with the fourth best attack in Division 2, Cork had the second worst defence, conceding a total of 125 points across seven games. Only relegated Fermanagh conceded more (129).

‘We tweaked with our game at the start of the year and it might have cost us – it left us open at the back trying to have a better offensive game,’ Cleary explained.

‘We had to go back to see if we could have the best of both worlds – but we conceded 2-16 against Armagh, so we are conceding more scores than we like but it’s with a plan to get to the next level. Otherwise we could be a defensive team and that will only take you so far, you’ll never threaten the bigger and better teams.

‘We are on a journey. In the first half Armagh played scintillating football and that’s where we are trying to get to.

‘We had hoped at the start of the season that we would be fighting for promotion, or get promotion, but ultimately we weren’t good enough. Armagh and Donegal were the best two teams. The aim is to get promoted. We need to be playing Division 1 football because if we have more games like against Donegal and Armagh, it has to improve lads. That’s the aim.’

The focus now switches to the Munster SFC quarter-final against Limerick on April 7th, and the prize for the winner is a crack off Kerry in the provincial semi-final. The good news for Cork is that they now have some momentum.