Cork 2-15
Down 1-19
MATTHEW HURLEY REPORTS
THIS is one that got away, and Cork fans will hope it doesn’t come back to haunt the Rebels later in this Allianz Football League Division 2 campaign.
Cork suffered an agonising one-point defeat to Down in Páirc Esler in Newry on Sunday, despite being seven points up at half time (1-11 to 0-7).
Brian O’Driscoll had a chance to win this second-round tie with a 74th-minute two-pointer free but unfortunately dragged his shot wide, sparking joy among the home folk.
‘The least we deserved was a draw out of it. We had a kick to win it in the end but we are going down the road with nothing which is very frustrating and disappointing,’ Cork boss John Cleary said.
There were still positives for Cleary and Co. The fact they have embraced the new rules, hitting two goals and five two pointers being one. But the way Cork lost the game will hurt however, especially being ten points up after 31 minutes.
‘I thought it was a game we could and should have won. Happy with the performance, maybe not happy with the result,’ Cleary admitted.
‘These new rules, when a team gets momentum, it’s very hard to stop it. I feel a couple of referee’s decisions went against us, big decisions in the second half, particularly for their goal.’
The decision the Cork boss is referring to is when Paul Walsh was penalised for barging inside the Down 45 on 64 minutes. At that stage, the Rebels were 2-15 to 0-17 up, but Down got on with the play. Daniel Guinness ran down the heart of the Cork defence before laying it off to Danny Magill, who smashed it home. Pat Havern then grabbed the winning score with a two-pointer free on 68 minutes.
‘I thought it was a very harsh decision and we saw it at the time. Look, these are the way things are with the new rules if you commit to attack, which all teams have because if you don’t have numbers up there, you won’t be able to attack. On the break they hit us and unfortunately we paid the price with the ball in the back of the net,’ the Cork manager added.
Uibh Laoire's Chris Óg Jones scored a goal against Down.
The game started off so well for Cork with Rory Maguire kicking over a score worth two after three minutes before Chris Óg Jones goaled after a Down kickout malfunction. Walsh did well to find Jones who slid it past Down goalkeeper Ronan Burns to make it 1-2 to 0-1 after 12 minutes.
Oisin Savage pulled one back for Down before Mark Cronin kicked two two-pointed frees on the bounce to put Cork firmly in the driving seat.
Ceilum Doherty and Havern kept the home side ticking but another two two-pointers came for the Munster side as Brian O’Driscoll and Sean McDonnell kicked over beauties. Eoghan McSweeney added a single point to send the Rebels into the dressing rooms buoyant, seven ahead.
Inside just three second-half minutes though, the gap was down to two as Havern and James Guinness both struck over two pointers with the latter adding another score.
Cronin and Sean Walsh stemmed the tide before Magill, Havern and Odhran Murdock levelled it on 50 minutes, 0-16 to 1-13. Three Cork scores in a row looked to have clinched the league points as Patrick Doyle and Cronin (free) pointed to sandwich a McDonnell goal. Tommy Walsh spotted a gap in the Down rearguard before finding the Mallow man who roofed it – Cork now led 2-15 to 0-16 with 15 to go but they just couldn’t hang on.
‘In the olden times, you could shut up shop and even if teams picked away a point or two from outside, you were still three (up) but with the two pointers, you really have to push in,’ Cleary said.
‘We never thought we were home and dry and you know in this game, you never are.’
The Rebels sit fourth in the Division 2 table after two rounds and host a Westmeath team who are pointless so far next. Not necessarily a bad position to be in, especially trying to get used to the new age of Gaelic football.
‘We’re turning up. We’re trying to adapt as best we can to them (the new rules). We’re trying to go at it as best as we can and I think we are making up a huge fist at a lot of things. We’re very good at a lot of things but unfortunately we didn’t get the two points today. We’ve got to learn from it, dust ourselves down and go again,’ the Cork boss said.
Scorers
Cork: Mark Cronin 0-6 (1f, 2tpf); Sean McDonnell 1-2 (1tp); Chris Óg Jones 1-0; Rory Maguire, Brian O’Driscoll (both tp) 0-2; Eoghan McSweeney, Sean Walsh, Patrick Doyle 0-1 each.
Down: Pat Havern 0-8 (1tp, 2tpf, 1f); Danny Magill 1-1; James Guinness (1tp), Odhran Murdock 0-3 each; Oisin Savage 0-2 (1f); Ceilum Doherty, Ronan Burns (‘45) 0-1 each.
Cork: Patrick Doyle (Knocknagree); Maurice Shanley (Clonakilty), Daniel O’Mahony (captain, Knocknagree), Neil Lordan (Ballinora); Sean Powter (Douglas), Rory Maguire (Castlehaven), Matty Taylor (Mallow); Sean Walsh (Mitchelstown), Colm O’Callaghan (Éire Óg); Paul Walsh (Kanturk), Eoghan McSweeney (Knocknagree), Brian O’Driscoll (Carrigaline); Mark Cronin (Nemo Rangers), Chris Óg Jones (Uibh Laoire), Sean McDonnell (Mallow).
Subs: Tommy Walsh (Kanturk) for Seán Powter (30); Cathail O’Mahony (Mitchelstown) for E McSweeney (58); Cathal Maguire (Castlehaven) for S Walsh (62); Darragh Cashman (Millstreet) for S McDonnell (66).
Down: Ronan Burns; Peter Fegan, Ryan McEvoy, Paddy McCarthy; Gareth McKibben, Pierce Laverty (captain), Caolan Mooney; Daniel Guinness, Odhran Murdock; Ceilum Doherty, James Guinness, Danny Magill; Oisin Savage, Pat Havern, Ryan Magill.
Subs: Conor McCrickard for G McKibben (ht); Aaron McClements for O Savage, Eugene Brannigan for C Mooney (both 55); Micheal Rooney for J Guinness (59).
Referee: Barry Cassidy (Derry).
