IT’S been a few years since I’ve sat down to write one of these pieces, and an eventful few years at that, encompassing stints with the Cork seniors and U20s as selector.
While both stints ultimately ended in disappointment, they were invaluable learning curves for someone who is only starting out in the coaching and management world. My only current involvement with any team is with the Carbery Rangers U21 team, and I will come back to that another time to give a few thoughts on the diminishing status of what has always been a vital and enjoyable grade of football.
Many thanks to The Southern Star for giving me the opportunity again to give my take on all things Cork football (mostly), and best of luck to my fellow clubman Micheál ‘Haulie’ O’Sullivan who vacates the column now to focus on his role with the Cork U17s.
Before taking the column on once more, the sports editor asked me to appear on the Star Sport Podcast to discuss the prospects for Cork in Division 2 of the Allianz Football League this year. Suffice to say, I was feeling optimistic about the coming season, having watched a strong run in last year’s championship be followed by an encouraging McGrath Cup campaign. As someone with a number of trinkets from the same competition at home – God knows where – I know better than to get too excited by early-season successes. However the feeling was that the panel was finally starting to show enough depth to launch a strong assault on promotion to Division 1.
It didn’t take too long for Donegal and the returning Jim McGuinness to puncture my optimism on Sunday.
As I was on duty with the aforementioned U21s at the same time, I had to rely on updates from fellow mentors during the game and then watch the game back on the deferred TG4 coverage afterwards. Knowing the result, I sat down to analyse what had already been described to me as a ‘horror show’. The opening ten minutes certainly gave truth to that description, Donegal kicking points under little to no pressure, and a Cork kick-out that was over predictable and generally ineffective. In the podcast, we mentioned that Cork have developed the overload kick-out as our primary kick-out strategy. I counted at least the opening five kick-outs that all went long and high to Patrick Doyle’s left wing side, two of which carried straight out over the sideline, and another of which was won uncontested by Donegal.
My Irish isn’t what it should be, but I know enough to decipher Kevin Cassidy describing the tactic as ‘just not good enough at this level’. This was only ten minutes in, and he wasn’t wrong either. The overload is a legitimate kick-out option but should not be used as frequently as Cork uses it. It should also be used as a decoy to make space to hit kick-outs to the opposite side where space has been created, yet seldom do we see Cork exploit this option.
Whether it is players reluctant to deviate from a preset plan, or coaches expecting strict adherence to instruction, this aspect of Cork’s game needs major improvement. It’s not a new phenomenon either, and oppositions have targeted our kick-out to much success in recent years. We are not blessed with huge targets, so increased short and medium length options will need to be added to our arsenal to help alleviate the pressure getting out from the restart. On one occasion in the first half, a short kick-out worked to Doyle’s right finished with a Brian O’Driscoll point at the other. Cork ended with 70 percent success on our own kick-outs, however much damage was done in those opening stages.
Indeed, the opening ten minutes, and the ten or so minutes either side of half time were where the game was largely taken away from Cork. Four points down after ten minutes, Cork came into the game, scoring 1-1 in quick succession to level the contest. The goal was a well-worked move after a good Luke Fahy dispossession. It was worked through the hands of Matty Taylor, Ian Maguire and Brian Hurley before Ruairi Deane laid the ball across the square for Eoghan McSweeney to palm to the net. Cork were competitive then until the approach to half-time, however another critical failing contributed strongly as we began to unravel before half-time.
Cork were repeatedly guilty of dropping way too far off the Donegal runners, and our defensive arc was far too deep. On several occasions in the first half, Donegal players were given all the time and space in the world inside the Cork 45-yard line to kick points with a very strong wind behind them. To their credit, Donegal took full advantage. Nonetheless, such a lack of pressure within scoring range would not be tolerated at club level, let alone at inter-county. No doubt it will be another area that John Cleary and Co will be working on before the trip to Louth.
The third key area for improvement will be Cork turning the ball over to the opposition in possession. At key points when Cork were trying to turn the tide, we coughed up cheap possession. Multiple players were guilty of poor kick-passing and running into trouble on other occasions, losing the ball 23 times in total. A poor scoring return will be a concern also and 21 scores to eight tells its own story, while also missing three from four from scorable frees, with Brian Hurley, Patrick Doyle and Steven Sherlock all guilty.
The second half was even more disappointing than the first, as six points was not an insurmountable margin turning to play with the strong wind. Cork failed to score for the opening 15 minutes of the second half until a fortuitous Chris Óg Jones goal. Jones added another point and the margin was back to five with less than 20 minutes to go. Donegal quickly quenched the brief Cork rally and outscored the Rebels by 1-6 to 0-2 in the remaining minutes. Not good enough, especially when you consider the elements favoured Cork.
Kudos therefore to Jim McGuinness and Donegal, they will take stopping in the race for promotion and will likely secure one of the spots. That leaves Cork now seeking to get involved in the race for the other spot, and the game in Louth this weekend is a must-win even at this early stage. That is the beauty of the league, each game takes on added meaning if you don’t get the points in the bag early. Cork were tipped to challenge Donegal and Armagh for the promotion spots before a ball was thrown in. Louth ran Armagh to a point away from home last weekend, Cork need a big performance and no less than two points to bring home down the road or we will be looking nervously at Division 3, rather than upwards to the big guns. Bearing in mind the league has important championship ramifications now also, there is huge importance attached to the game and we are only in the first weekend of February. Losing is not an option.
