WHEN I sat down to pen this column around this time last week, the anger in me after watching Cork lose to Louth the previous day was palpable in the words I wrote.
Suffice to say it was a column that created a little bit of a stir, with many expressing support for what I had said while one or two others thought I was somewhat harsh, in particular with my criticism of head coach Kevin Walsh.
After being challenged on my views by someone I know well who would be relatively close to the Cork football set up, it must be noted that Walsh is well thought of by the group by most accounts. Therefore, in the interest of fairness, I sat down to subject myself to a rewatch of Louth vs Cork from Inniskeane, Co. Monaghan in the 2024 preliminary All Ireland quarter final.
If you value your time and sanity, it is not something I would recommend.
So, have the seven days and a second look at the game softened my view in any way? Emphatically, no. The rewatch more than confirmed my initial thoughts: Cork’s approach and attitude for 90% of this game was lacking in courage, skill, or invention.
Two brief periods, a 10-minute spell before half-time which yielded 1-2 and a four-point lead, and a similar period after Louth’s goal when Cork went away from the script and tried the revolutionary approach of attacking the central channels of the pitch where the goalposts are located.
Louth’s goal came in the 56th minute and gave them a two-point lead. For a brief spell, inspired somewhat by Sean Powter from the bench, Cork threw off the shackles and tried to play some football. Unfortunately, while better scoring chances were created during this spell, the old failing of wastefulness reared its ugly head and presentable scoring chances were missed.
Nonetheless, when Chris Óg Jones opted to point when a goal was very much on, Cork had drawn level with Louth in the 63rd minute and the game was still very much there for the taking.
Unfortunately, the final 10 minutes or so of the contest would be a masterclass in how not to win a tight game. Cork reverted to type and the pre-set ‘hand in the air and let’s all run down the sideline’ approach returned. Four times in this 10 minutes Cork lost possession either on the sideline or in the corner. One such turnover led to the Louth free that Sam Mulroy converted to give Louth a 73rd minute lead.
Time remained for one more attack for the Cork men, and the decision to head for the corner flag again was indefensible.
Knowing the players involved as I do, I know they would not have done anything like this if in a similar situation with their club, and while they must bear their fair share of the blame, the absolute insistence of continuing with the approach smacks of coaching intransigence. Stick to my game plan, come hell or high water, with no latitude for individual or collective autonomy on the field.
This was a collective failure, and some involved may not get a chance to rectify events on the field in the future, with some murmurings that it is very possible that John Cleary won’t put himself forward for another season.
Some of the longer serving players may decide that the colossal effort needed to be an inter-county player is not feasible for them also, while in the background Conor Counihan’s five-year term as Cork football project co-ordinator is up and he is not continuing in the role either. It is not yet known whether the board will appoint a successor or discontinue the role.
The U17 and U20 All-Ireland wins, and the much improved Cork club championships, are the main positives in a difficult time for Cork football generally. Much to ponder for the decision makers in Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
One decision I have already made my feelings known on is the role of the head coach, and despite protestations from people within the current camp, I stand by what I said. Beyond sitting back, being hard for better teams to break down and hoping to break on the counter, our football at other times has been extremely poor. The excellent Aaron Kernan on GAA Go commentary duty was aghast at the ‘pedestrian, predictable, ponderous’ Cork approach play.
Let’s be straight here, that was a very average Louth team playing poorly, as both teams attempted to outdo each other in the rabbit-caught-in-the-headlights stakes.
Donegal clipped 1-23 this weekend against the same opponents, while Kerry have recorded 14 and 28 point wins against the same opponents in the course of just over 12 months. Donegal had no fear of the central channels and the space in front of the Louth goal, cutting the Leinster finalists open time and time again. Cork’s obsession with running to the wings plays right into the hands of the defending teams. After all, most coaches instruct their defenders to show attackers to the sideline to limit their options. Helpfully Cork make their jobs easy by doing it for them.
It brings me no joy to say this, but it is ultimately a style of football akin to the cowardly efforts of Derry in Croke Park against Kerry. Like boxers who spend the entire fight running from an opponent, without even the courage to attempt to land a few swings in the final round.
I fully believe the players are better than what they showed last week, and that John Cleary is good enough to turn the ship around if he does decide to stay (I have never known another John Cleary team to play this style, after all), so the logical conclusion for me is the replacement of the coach. I have no qualms about stating that again. I understand being so blunt will sometimes open me up to counter criticism both of me and my opinions, but that is my honest assessment.
Overall, it is another year of nothingness for Cork football. No silverware apart from the McGrath Cup (props to the man with my favourite sign of the year at the Kerry game in Killarney denoting that Cork were ‘93 days as McGrath Cup champions’ at the time, a sense of humour is often very much required for us Cork football people), no promotion from Division 2, defeat in the first knockout game of asking and getting wiped out across the board at underage level all make for a bleak picture. There are no easy solutions, but big decisions lie ahead for the powers that be in Páirc Uí Chaoimh over the coming months.
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Review of negative football can’t come soon enough
THE All-Ireland quarter-finals rumbled on this week in Croke Park without Cork, and Louth put up a decent showing against Donegal but never looked like winning.
Again the quantity of Donegal scores and the ease they created chances does not reflect well on the Cork performance seven days earlier.
I missed the game of the weekend as Galway beat Dublin for the first time since 1934. It was the bright spot for football on another negative weekend as Armagh, Roscommon, Derry and Kerry all bored the audiences into submission.
Fifteen behind the ball is virtually par for the course now for most teams and it is turning many away from the game. I do get annoyed at the constant negativity around Gaelic Football at times as there is still much to enjoy, nonetheless it can’t be ignored that the game as a spectacle is not in a great place.
It is particularly ugly at the highest levels when teams do little but set out to contain the opponent, and Derry last Sunday were another prime example. The refusal to abandon the deep block even in the latter stages when there was only a score or two between the teams was baffling, but it illustrates how football coaches now see the game.
The proposals from the Football Review Committee can’t come fast enough.
