BY GER McCARTHY
JOHN Cleary is braced for one of his toughest challenges since becoming Cork senior football manager.
On Saturday, Ulster champions Donegal will be in town for a Group 3 clash at Páirc Uí Rinn (2.30pm), with both teams having won their opening games.
2009 was the last time Cork beat Donegal, 1-27 to 2-10, in an All-Ireland quarter-final knockout encounter, and the Ulster side has won the two championship clashes since (2012 and 2016).
Jim McGuinness’ second coming has already delivered a Division 2 league title and an Ulster SFC triumph, and just last weekend they were too strong for Tyrone, winning 0-21 to 0-14 in Ballybofey. Make no mistake, Donegal are the form team in the country. Armed with that info, Cork boss Cleary is under no illusions as to the size of the challenge facing the Rebels.
‘We have seen, from far out really, that Donegal is a formidable team,’ the Cork senior football manager told The Southern Star.
‘We played them in the first match of the league and they beat us by 11 points. We were the first to get a pasting from them. Since then, they beat Derry, Tyrone and Armagh after extra-time. The last day, they were playing at home, and they put in a performance, probably the best performance of any team this year.’
Despite Donegal’s rise, Cleary is hoping the quick turnaround from Sunday to Saturday and a long journey south might hinder the Ulster champions’ chances.
‘Their conversion rate and fitness levels are outstanding,’ Cleary outlined.
‘We would be hoping that (Tyrone) game took a little bit out of them and they have to travel down the length of the country five days later.
‘Having said that, the performance they put in the last day, they will be very hard to beat on any day, not to mind on Saturday. We are well warned but, hopefully, we are ready for it and have prepared accordingly. We knew from a good while over the last few weeks that our home game would be against the Ulster champions in Páirc Uí Rinn.
‘As I said, we have been preparing for this and we intend putting our best foot forward on Saturday.’
The Cork footballers have looked on in envy as their hurling counterparts surfed the wave of massive support en-route to reaching the All-Ireland SHC knockout stages. Imagine what a victory over Donegal would do for the Cork senior footballers. It might even stir up some badly-needed extra support.
‘I think it would be massive,’ Cleary said.
‘We saw against Roscommon last year; it was outstanding the way the public got behind the team. This (Donegal game) is something similar. I think it would mean an awful lot for Cork football and an awful lot for the group.
‘We are facing one of the best teams in the country. They have taken down all the big guns. They have taken down Tyrone twice. Derry were everyone’s favourite to upset Kerry or Dublin. Donegal plundered four goals and took them apart.
‘Definitely, if we were to get over the line, it would be a huge boost for everyone.’
Cork’s recent 1-13 to 1-11 group win over Clare has lifted some of the pressure off Cleary and his players’ shoulders. There is still much to play for over the coming weeks but having two points in the bag means the Rebels may yet revert to a more expansive approach.
‘We do realise how hard the next couple of weeks will be,’ Cleary added.
‘That’s why we were delighted to get the two points in the bag against Clare. If we were facing into the next two weeks trying to scramble for points, that would have brought on its own bit of pressure.
‘I think the very fact that we have two points in the bag gives us a small bit of freedom to play without that pressure. We have two cuts at it over the next couple of weeks.
‘Where we are standing at the moment, we want to top the group. Secondly, there is another prize on offer, to have a home preliminary quarter-final.
Things would have been much, much harder if we were standing here with no points. We have to be pleased about that going into the weekend. I wouldn’t say it is a free shot but having the points takes that small bit of pressure off.
‘Momentum means an awful lot in these games. Donegal have it. Our last seven games, only being defeated once, and getting out of a sticky situation in Clare, has put a bit of belief in the guys as well. If we are in a corner, we can get out of it.’
