BY KIERAN McCARTHY
MICHEÁL O’Sullivan is still trying to wrap his head around what went wrong for the Cork minor footballers in their All-Ireland MFC hammering against Mayo.
Losing by 17 points, 3-14 to 0-6, in a one-sided quarter-final in Ennis, the fact it comes just after the Munster final rout suffered against Kerry, 2-18 to 1-6, it’s back-to-back heavy defeats for the young Rebels.
‘In the three weeks between the games, we thought we had solved a lot of the problems that were there against Kerry when our work-rate wasn’t high enough, our tackle count wasn't high enough, our kick-out wasn’t good enough, our breaking ball wasn’t good enough,’ manager Haulie O’Sullivan said.
‘We thought we would at least deliver a performance that would be better than the day up in Páirc Uí Rinn, but as it materisalied we weren’t good enough.’
The writing was on the wall early, as Oisin Deane goaled for Mayo in the second minute. It was a nightmare start for a Cork team that had shipped a heavy defeat the last time out, and they didn’t recover.
By the break the Connacht champions led 2-8 to 0-3. It was game over already. Oisin Harrington, Sean Whelton and Danny Miskella scored for Cork in that first period.
‘There was a strong breeze in Ennis and we had planned, if we won the toss, to play with the wind, and that might help us settle into the game, but we lost the toss,’ O’Sullivan said.
‘Mayo got the first couple of points, and then a goal, and that might have brought the fragility back that came to the fore against Kerry. Once we conceded the goal against Kerry the floodgates opened and we found it hard to get back in.
These are young fellas, they don't have all the tools in the box but hopefully they’ll learn from this.’
The second half was forgettable for Cork, as Mayo eased into the last four, while Whelton (2) and Dylan O’Neill did kick three late scores for a Cork team that was well beaten all over the field.
‘Over the next few weeks we’ll analyse what we need to improve and what we could have done differently.
‘Hopefully the next guy who comes in, whoever that might be, will learn from that and things might improve for Cork football,’ O’Sullivan added.
‘It was an extremely disappointing finish to the year for the player group and the backroom staff, the amount of time and effort that went in, but we need to realise that the two teams that handed out beatings to us in the last month, Kerry and Mayo, would be in the running with Derry for the All-Ireland.
‘We played them two years ago, we saw they were a special team, we did our best to close the gap but we didn’t do enough.’
Scorers
Mayo: O Deane 2-3; K McDonald 1-6 (1-0 pen, 2f); M Sheerin 0-2; T Hession, D Hurley, D Flynn (m) 0-1 each.
Cork: S Whelton 0-3 (2f); O Harrington, D Kinsella, D O’Neill 0-1 each.
Mayo: Nathan Roddy, Conor Coghill, Tom Hession, Daithi Butler, David Hurley, Mark Noonan, Mark Sheerin, Josh Moyles, Owen Loughney, Barry Langan, Kobe McDonald, Dylan Flynn, Joe Farry, Oisin Deane, Andrew Quinn.
Subs: Harry McHale for Quinn (45), Fionn Ó Cinnsella for Farry (45), Conor Kavanagh for Loughney (54), Jack O’Malley for Flynn (56), Derry Óg Cox for McHale (59).
Cork: James O’Flaherty (Douglas); Oisin Harrington (Kilmeen), Niall O’Shea (Urhan), Billy Ryan (Glenville); Cian Cooney (Clyda Rovers), Aaron Keane (Kinsale), Cian O’Connor (Ballincollig); Padraig Tobin (Carbery Rangers), Jack Trench (Ballinora); Harry Cogan (Glanmire), Danny Miskella (Ballincollig), Cathal McCarthy (St Colum’s); Humphrey Canty (Newcestown), Dylan O’Neill (Carbery Rangers), Sean Whelton (St James).
Subs: Liam Kelliher (Douglas) for Cooney (12), Danny O’Donovan (Castlehaven) for O’Connor (28), Joe Mouret (Douglas) for Cogan (42), Ben Delaney (Carrigaline) for Canty (48), Padraig McGrath (Douglas) for Tobin (52).
Referee: Niall Quinn (Clare).
