WE looked last week for three wins for Cork GAA, but only one was forthcoming and it didn’t come on the football front either.
The action started on Friday evening in Tralee where the minor footballers again gave their all but lacked the quality up front to match their Kerry counterparts in the Munster final. Cork competed well and had enough possession to make problems for Kerry, having 22 shots over the course of the game to 25 for their opponents. Cork, though, converted just nine of those chances with zero two-pointers, while Kerry racked up 16 scores with two two-pointers. For further context, Kerry converted seven from eight (87 percent) dead balls where Cork could only convert 50 percent of their free shots at the posts.
This superior finishing was the ultimate difference between the sides and full-forward Kevin Griffin was Cork’s tormentor in chief, claiming eight points including both double pointers, one from play and one from a free. Cork defended well for much of the game, and I have to give mention to my clubmate and namesake Ronan Hayes for an excellent hour’s work in tagging Kerry talisman, Gearoid White. More naturally a half-forward, Ronan’s athleticism meant he was detailed for this rather thankless task but did so manfully. Matthew Kiernan again impressed at corner back, while Eoin Maguire and Ben Corkery Delaney were the best of the forwards even if their shooting didn’t match their approach play at times.
Cork now advance to play the Ulster winners Tyrone, but will likely do so without captain Cathal McCarthy. McCarthy received a straight red card for striking, but the offence looked to be a pushing action more than anything else. The same Kerry player who threw himself to the ground could be seen on TV running away laughing as the red card was being brandished. Kerry were again far superior on the night, but that nonsense leaves a sour taste, and young McCarthy will now miss a huge game as a consequence.
Keith Ricken again struck a very measured tone afterwards and the hair-dryer treatment does not seem to be part of the St Vincent’s man’s repertoire, telling reporters that getting cross with his players ‘wouldn’t even enter his head’. Ricken praised the spirit of the group and backed his charges not to ‘roll over and let the season fizzle out’. In 2019, the Cork minors lost twice to Kerry but recovered to win an All-Ireland, a repeat might be unlikely, but it can be done. Win a quarter-final, and anything can happen from there.
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The senior footballers made the trip to a dark and dreary Navan on the following afternoon and would fare little better than their younger county-men. This was far from a game of the year contender as both sides struggled with some difficult conditions as the heavens opened. Meath had the wind in the first half, but poor finishing allowed Cork to take advantage, with three points from play from Chris Óg Jones helping Cork into an early lead.
A super goal from Jordie Morris kickstarted the Royals and they led by a goal at the break. Cork had the breeze for the second half and when a two-pointer from Colm O’Callaghan brought the away side level, portents were good. Meath would kick the next five points before another mini-Cork revival brought the margin down to one. From there, Meath would weather both the conditions and the Cork storm as two points from their main man Matthew Costelloe and one from James Conlon helped the home team to a four-point success.
Cork can have few complaints given that Meath created 32 scoring chances to just 21 for the Rebels. John Cleary pointed directly at losing the midfield exchanges as the key reason for the costly defeat. Former Meath captain Shane McEntee did give some interesting insight – he noted the lack of variety on Cork’s kick-outs and that once Meath got to grips with the overload, Cork struggled.
The reliance on the overload pod on the left wing was highlighted also by Conor Sweeney on RTÉ on Saturday night, observing that Cork have put ‘all their eggs into the one basket’ and it’s clear the whole country knows exactly what Cork are going to do on the majority of their kick-outs and can plan accordingly.
Cork lost over 50 percent of their own kick-outs which Sweeney noted ‘gave Meath the platform for their win’. Peter Canavan was equally critical, chastising Cork for playing into Meath’s hands. This has been an issue that has been brewing for a long time, but the chickens are coming home to roost on the lack of variation in this aspect for the past couple of seasons.
The defeat puts Cork under immediate pressure, and they will need to turn around their form quickly again. This Cork team have been extremely Jekyll and Hyde in their nature in recent years, and we hope that the better version of our character comes out on Saturday evening in Páirc Uí Chaoimh. Even if you assume that Kerry win all their games, including this one, scoring difference could be crucial if Roscommon beat Meath this weekend and Cork turn Roscommon over on the final day.
Cork should have beaten the current All-Ireland favourites in the same venue just a few short weeks ago, and the Munster champions will come forewarned and with a point to prove. Cork are on a run of 11 defeats to Kerry across all competitions, this weekend would be a brilliant time to reverse that trend. The odds are against us, but that seems to be how this Cork team likes it. Maybe I’m deluded, but hope is always the last thing to die!
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The county leagues continued last weekend, and Rory and Cathal Maguire and Conor Cahalane were surprise inclusions for Castlehaven in their crucial clash with Carrigaline in Division 1. Castlehaven won the game to give them a two-point cushion over their opponents at the foot of the table.
This item will be covered in more detail elsewhere on these pages, but since I started writing this column early last year, no single other issue has caused so many people to get in touch with me, expressing their surprise, disappointment and anger at what they see as a double standard from the Cork management.
Players and mentors from clubs who have not had access to their players at varying stages of the league this year and in years just passed, sometimes for players not even involved in the match-day squad, are asking questions of what criteria is applied to allowing players to play with their clubs.
I understand the need to get game-time into players at certain junctures but allowing two players, Rory Maguire and Conor Cahalane, in contention to feature against our biggest rivals in a huge championship game just six days away, to play club league … it beggars belief, especially with the injury issues already facing Cork. Both players had featured against Meath on the Saturday as well. There would be little issue with Cathal Maguire lining out given his lack of appearances for Cork, other than to say other clubs feel they have not been afforded the same courtesy at other times.
I can tell you this with certainty, the teams that I was on, no player that had a chance of playing against Kerry in a big championship game in under a week would have considered putting that at risk for a county league game, and I would not have dreamt of approaching Billy Morgan, Conor Counihan or Brian Cuthbert to ask permission to do so.
Cork sometimes seem at their best with their backs against the wall, and maybe a siege mentality is needed now because there is significant annoyance brewing. Only positive performances and results will start to build those bridges. Saturday evening at 4.45pm would be a good place to start.
