BY SEÁN HOLLAND
AS the Cork minor football team prepares for their All-Ireland quarter-final clash with Mayo in Cusack Park, Ennis, this Saturday, June 8th (4.30pm), manager Micheál ‘Haulie’ O'Sullivan has had time to reflect on their 15-point Munster final defeat to Kerry.
The loss was a significant setback, but Carbery Rangers clubman O'Sullivan sees it as an opportunity for growth and redemption.
‘The good thing after coming out of Páirc Uí Rinn the last day is we have a chance to put that right and deliver a performance against Mayo’, he said.
‘Our performance against Kerry was well below expectations, well below the players' expectations and the management's expectations. We’re looking for a big performance against Mayo. Wherever that performance will take us the next day, we'll be happy.’
The 2-18 to 1-6 defeat to the Kingdom was a humbling experience for the young Cork footballers, but O'Sullivan emphasises the importance of resilience. The team took a few days off after the game to regroup mentally and emotionally before resuming training.
‘The game was on a Monday, so we didn't go back until the Friday, and it was probably the right thing to do because it gave everyone a chance to get their thoughts together. Rather than going back the night after or two nights after and fellas are still suffering from the anguish of the defeat more than anything else,’ O’Sullivan explained.
The time away from the field allowed players and management to process the loss and refocus on their next challenge.
‘We were back training Friday, Sunday, and basically, it was a case of getting back on the horse as soon as possible and starting preparing for the next game. All the players knew that, and they were happy to have a second chance. Training has gone well in between,’ he noted.
The Munster final defeat was a test of character for the team, and O'Sullivan acknowledges the difficulty of the situation.
‘If this job was easy, every fella would be looking to do it. We've all been involved as players and as coaches, and whatever level you're involved in, if something like that hasn't happened to you, you're lucky,’ he said.
‘As a player and as a manager, there's a number of us in the backroom team who would have been through that before. Look, it's a case of getting back on the horse and trying to get the unity going again. We're all in the same place and it’s a case we get ourselves out of it, we're in control of our own destiny after that,’ he emphasised.
Looking ahead to the All-Ireland quarter-final against Connacht minor champions Mayo, O'Sullivan is under no illusions about the challenge that awaits his side.
‘Mayo would be one of the top-rated teams in the country based on what I've seen over the last couple of years. They’ve some high-quality players and they've come through Connacht pretty easily too. It will be a big challenge, but we're looking forward to it,’ he said.
