Earlier Munster MFC win over Kingdom is meaningless, says Cork boss O’Mahony

BY JOHNNY CAROLAN

LAST year, Cork beat Kerry in the Electric Ireland Munster MFC final, having lost to the Kingdom in the semi-final.

It sounds impossible but it was a result of an especially convoluted system that saw the beaten Cork take on Tipperary in another semi-final after the Premier County had come through a round-robin of themselves, Clare, Limerick and Waterford before then turning the tables on Kerry.

This time around, the province’s old firm met at the quarter-final stage, with Cork triumphing in Páirc Uí Chaoimh a fortnight ago. Both counties went forward to the semis, Cork against Tipp and Kerry against Limerick, with expected victories.

Now, the rivals clash again, with Austin Stack Park in Tralee the venue for the final on Friday, June 2nd. With the Rebels having benefited from the second chance last year, manager Ray O’Mahony knows full well that the earlier game can’t be taken as a reliable barometer.

‘I think that that quarter-final was a meaningless game, with respect,’ he says.

‘Whether you won or lose, you were into a Munster semi-final, so this game on Friday week is starting off again with a blank canvas.

‘I think that Kerry had four or five new starters against Limerick in their semi-final.

‘I know we won the first day but Kerry could have won that game as well, with their opportunities. They’ll obviously go in as favourites, being at home and all that, but we’ll go down and we’ll relish the challenge.’

Going in as strong favourites against Tipp, Cork had to earn victory, even if the final score of 5-9 to 1-11 gives an impression of it being comfortable.

‘It was always going to be a potential banana-skin,’ O’Mahony says, ‘Tipperary are a good side and they had a plan to upscuttle us. It probably worked to a degree for the first half but we certainly didn’t play to our principles and what we are best at what we do.

‘It was level at half-time but in the second half we moved up through the gears and started doing the basics better, making fewer mistakes compared to the first half.

‘Our scoring efficiency against Tipp was below our targets, whereas it had been on the money against Kerry. The opportunities for goals arose and, to be honest, we probably could have got a couple more goals.

‘It was 14 scores to 12 but goals obviously win games. We’ve a good spread of quality forwards in the group and they all contributed to it so we’re happy from that perspective.’

Regardless of the outcome on Friday week, both counties will advance to the All-Ireland quarter-finals, but again, that’s not something occupying O’Mahony.

‘As a group – as a management group and when we address the players – we just take it one game at a time,’ he says.

‘The next challenge for us is the Munster final and we haven’t even looked beyond that. I couldn’t even tell you who we’re playing, to be honest, what province or whatever.

‘We’re just concentrating on the next challenge and that’s the Munster final against Kerry down in Tralee. It’s a well-organised and well-coached Kerry team too, may I add.

‘Our boys are still 16, 17, I keep going back to that point but when they were five, six, seven years of age, they dreamt of being a Cork footballer and they’ve been given the opportunity.

‘We’ll select 24 but it’s been a real collective effort, there are 36 on the panel, and they’ll embrace the challenge. It’s why they’ve gone through the whole development squad process over the last few years, to get to this occasion.’