Rebels on brink of safety, but need to finish the job on Sunday
SUDDENLY, Cork’s safety prospects look a lot healthier. The win against Louth means Cork just need a draw away to Cavan to guarantee their place in Division 2 and probably Sam Maguire cup football.
The Rebels take on the Ulster side in Kingspan Breffni on Sunday (1.30pm) knowing what they need to do. Win, and Cork stay in Division 2. Draw, and the Rebels remain in this division. Lose, and it gets a bit tricker.
If Cork are defeated, and Down and Louth don’t win their respective games against Monaghan and Meath, John Cleary’s side are safe. But if Cork lose and both Down and Louth win, then scoring difference will decide which one of the three goes down.
There is even a scenario where Cork finish fourth in the second tier. However, the Leesiders’ upcoming opponents are on a four-game winning streak, and kept it rolling with a shock 0-22 to 0-20 win away to Roscommon leaving the Ulster side still in the promotion hunt.
Cork are in a limbo where they can still mathematically go up or go down but a win would be big in terms of confidence and cement Sam Maguire Cup.
‘Being straight, our job is to go up to Cavan and win. That’s all we can do. That’s our controllable and that will be the task for the week,’ Cork captain Brian Hurley said.
Division 2 has normally been the most compelling in the national football league and this year is no different with just four points separating Roscommon in second and Down in seventh.
Going into the final round of games, which are all happening at the same time on Sunday, it’s hard to know definitively who will finish where.
‘You’re two points from being promoted and two points from being relegated – there is pressure in every game in Division 2. Personally, I love the pressure. You just get a bit more out of yourself,’ Hurley added.
Cork and Cavan are very much even in terms of scores for and against – Cork have scored 9-103, conceded 9-112. Cavan have scored 5-119, conceded 6-120. Having said that, in their last four games, Cork have conceded eight goals while Cavan have just let in one. Gearóid McKernan (1-24) and Dara McVeety (0-17) need guarding but with the result against Louth and a training camp in Portugal under their belts, Cork will be ready for the challenge.
‘Cavan on their day are capable of beating anyone and putting it up to anyone. I wouldn’t expect that there would be an awful lot in it,’ Cork boss Cleary said.
‘There is a big difference between winning and losing in any sport, in any game. We were all down and out after Roscommon. In this league, you have to learn to get back on the horse pretty quickly, you can’t be wallowing. All you can do is look forward, learn from the mistakes and the losses,’ he added.
A big boost for Cleary was the return of Luke Fahy, who was an unused sub against Louth, and the other long-term trio of Conor Corbett, Kevin O’Donovan and Seán Meehan aren’t too far away either. Ian Maguire did go off with a knock late on in the Louth game and Tommy Walsh (hamstring) is a doubt too.
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Cork’s scorers in this Division 2 campaign are as follows: Mark Cronin 1-39 (1-0 pen, 16f, 7tpf, 2tp, 1m); Chris Óg Jones 5-14 (1f); Brian O’Driscoll 0-16 (1f, 4tp, 1tpf); Sean McDonnell 1-6 (2tp); Cathail O’Mahony 0-7; Colm O’Callaghan 1-4 (1m); Rory Maguire 0-4 (1tp); Matty Taylor 1-1; Eoghan McSweeney (1tp), Paul Walsh 0-3 each; Sean Walsh, Patrick Doyle, Conor Cahalane, Seán Powter, Ian Maguire, Brian Hurley (f) 0-1 each.
