CORK footballers must take their game to the next level to make an impact in Munster, insists selector Michéal Ó Cronín.
With the national league in the rearview mirror, Cork’s focus is mounting a challenge in the provincial championship the Rebels haven’t won since 2012. The route back to the top in Munster has a serious challenge waiting in the semi-finals, provided Cork negotiate Limerick in a quarter-final this Sunday at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh (2pm).
With two weeks between league and championship, there is no time to draw breath. It’s full-on Munster SFC preparation.
‘With no split season, there's no break. You go from the league straight into the championship, but we’re looking forward to it,’ Ó Cronín told The Southern Star.
‘We need to take it up another level because championship does require another level. The game gets a bit quicker and we need to be able to move with that, starting with Limerick. They've had a tough year, but they'll also be drawing a line in that and looking to come down to Cork and have a good go at us.
‘We know that people will have us as favourites, so we just have to respond to that, get out there and put in as good a performance as we can. I hope that'll be enough there to bring us down to Kerry then two weeks later,’ Cronín added, with the Munster champions waiting for the winner on April 20th.
Cork’s Division 2 campaign was a mix of the bad, then the good, as three losses in their opening three games were followed by three victories and a draw that ensured a fourth place finish.
‘No one likes losing – it brings so much focus on us then. You’ve got a lot more media attention on the league than there was back even when I was playing,’ Ó Cronín said.
‘Look, we felt that on the days that you're going bad, things are never as bad as they are. On the days that you win, they’re never as good either. You're trying to find a balance in between so we looked at it that way.
‘We knew there were parts of our game to tweak and tidy up to stop losing those games and try to be more clinical. The players, with the couple of wins, took a bit of momentum off that. It lifts a bit of the pressure. We're not there yet though. We're still trying to progress. We understand that. But these games come quick and fast. Now we'll have to be showing all those improvements pretty quickly with the start of the championship coming up.’
The Rebels had an encouraging 2023 championship campaign, recovering after a Munster SFC exit to Clare, making it to the quarter-final stage before eventually getting beaten by a strong Derry side. Reaching the knockout stage is the aim, again.
‘Every year, you're looking to push on,’ Ó Cronín insisted.
‘If you got to a quarter-final last year, you're looking to get to that level again this year and try and go that game further, at least. Try and build on your progress. But there's a lot of competition out there, a lot of other teams starting to come to the fore. No two years are the same, so you can take nothing for granted. You just have to prepare as best you can, put your best foot forward, and try to get your players on the pitch fit and ready.
‘We're coming together now, a few injuries have to clear up, but that part of it is coming together. We’d love to win the Munster championship, that's the next competition. You want to win everything that you go out and play for. The league didn't pan out in terms of a promotion or getting to a final the way we were aiming. The Munster championship gives us a chance to respond,’ he added.
