Rebels have pep in their step after a season of progress, but more is needed in 2024

KIERAN McCARTHY reflects on Cork footballers’ season of progress, but more is needed to close the gap on the leading teams

FOR the second season in a row Cork manager John Cleary faced up to the waiting media to give his immediate thoughts on an All-Ireland quarter-final exit in Croke Park, but the mood music was different this time.

Last year Cleary was the interim manager who watched his side limp out of the championship, 11-point losers to Dublin.

He admitted afterwards Cork were a ‘mid-to-lower Division 2 team’ that needed to be pushing towards the top of that division before eventually making the leap to Division 1. Cleary also noted Cork’s fitness issue that season; final quarter fade-outs against Kerry and Dublin resulted in double digit defeats.

Twelve months on, Cork’s progress is evident.

Granted, it was a similar quarter-final stage exit, but the similarities end there. Canon fodder for the top counties last year – it was damage limitation, Cleary admitted –the Rebels packed a punch in this championship, evidenced by their five championship games, all against teams who finished above them in the league.

In their All-Ireland round-robin group Cork won away to a Louth team that had beaten them in the league, had regrets after a two-point home loss to All-Ireland kingpins Kerry, then turned over Division 1 champions Mayo with a terrific comeback, beat a Roscommon side that finished third in Division 1 before bowing out to Ulster champions Derry who are further down the road than Cork.

Rewind back to 2022 when Cork’s championship ‘scalps’ were Louth and Limerick. This season two Division 1 teams were felled on successive weekends, fuelling belief that Cork have, at last, turned a corner.

The evidence backs this up.

Instead of fighting off relegation in the league, Cork were in the promotion conversation for a period. The fourth-place finish in Division 2 was Cork’s highest since 2017. It’s worth noting that the top two in the division this season were Derry and Dublin, now All-Ireland semi-finalists, so the task of earning promotion this year was always going to be a stretch. Next season, however, promotion looks more attainable.

Cork will line up alongside four Ulster counties and three from Leinster – Armagh, Cavan, Donegal, Fermanagh, Kildare, Louth and Meath. If the fixture makers are kind and Cleary’s crew get four home games, and the long trips to Ulster are kept to a minimum, Cork have shown enough this season to expect a strong push for promotion. That has to be the target: a Division 1 return and regular games against the best teams in the country.

‘The first thing we need to do is get back into Division 1, which is not easy either because Division 2 is very competitive. You become battle-hardened then,’ Cleary said after last weekend’s loss to Derry. He knows his side needs more exposure to high-pressure games against the top teams. Cork’s last four matches were against four teams that will line up in Division 1 in 2024. That’s the environment Cork now needs to take the next step and shove their way into the chasing pack.

‘When we look back on it, the learnings should be good. It's up to the lads now if they want to try and get to the next level. But this is the ultimate, the games here in Croke Park. They're tactical, they're tough, they're hard and you must have everything going for you. We're probably not at that level yet. The test now is to see if we're able to get to that level going forward,’ Cleary said, knowing that for the progress Cork have made – shown in results, structure on the pitch, players’ improvement and a resilient streak – they are still short in key areas.

The Cork attack needs a sharper edge. Only one starting forward scored from play against Derry. Cork managed nine scores (no team in the quarter-finals kicked fewer scores) and kicked nine wides, too. Missed scoring chances has been a recurring theme of this season, throughout the league and into the championship. Cleary told this paper last month: ‘It’s the chances that we are missing at vital stages of games that are letting us down and costing us results, particularly against the bigger and better teams.’ That was the story in Croke Park last weekend: missed chances and poor shot selection.

‘I just felt up front they (Cork) were toothless at times,’ Colm Cooper told The Sunday Game. ‘They had plenty of possession and plenty of attacks but too many times in the first half they turned over the ball and took wrong options.

‘They need to find two guys inside, if it’s Hurley, if it’s Corbett.

‘Cork had plenty of possession, they were right in the mix for long periods, but nine scores from 22 shots is not good enough at this level. They made progress, they have beaten Roscommon and Mayo, John Cleary has made a good impact there, and the next step is to improve their attack.’

Steven Sherlock (1-25, including 12 frees, one penalty and three 45s) and Brian Hurley (0-16, including 12 frees and one mark) were Cork’s two top scorers in the championship, but the pair managed a combined 1-12 from play. The business end of Hurley’s season was blighted by injury too – he injured his hamstring against Mayo, missed the win against Roscommon and managed the last 15 minutes against Derry. Without an in-form Hurley – and he will be 32 by the time Cork run out in a championship game next year – the Cork attack doesn’t carry the same threat. The hope is Conor Corbett and Cathail O’Mahony will emerge to take some of the scoring burden. Both have the pedigree and talent, but need games and injury-free runs to establish themselves. Injury sidelined Damien Gore this season; is he worth another look? Cork need their shooters fit and firing to stand a chance when it comes to the crunch.

The upcoming county championships is also a chance for players to put up their hands, and this management has shown they’re not afraid to take risks. They brought Brian O’Driscoll (29) back into the fold after a four-year exile, and it paid off. They brought Ruairi Deane (32) back after his surprise – and harsh – omission for the 2022 season, and it paid off. Killian O’Hanlon (30), after his injury nightmare, was given his chance, and won his starting spot.

New leaders are emerging too: Colm O’Callaghan had his best season in a Cork jersey, so too has Rory Maguire. Daniel O’Mahony’s return has steeled the defence. The return of Liam O’Donovan would be a huge boost too, on and off the field the Clon man is a born leader.

There’s now genuine optimism surrounding the Cork footballers, and it’s been a while since we could say that. A lot done, but also a lot more to do, but Cork are in a good place. There’s a pep to the Rebels’ step after a season of progress, and another off-season similar to last will strengthen belief ahead of a promotion push in early 2024.