The Kelleher call really beggared belief

The decision not to start Peter Kelleher for Sunday’s game was the fatal flaw from which the Rebels couldn’t recover, writes Noel Horgan

IT’S impossible to fathom why Cork didn’t start Peter Kelleher against Tipperary last Sunday.

Over the course of the National League, the new management had taken the opportunity to run the rule over an abundance of players who weren’t regulars on the championship team last year, and the big Kilmichael man made the biggest impression of the trialists by some distance. Indeed, it was generally agreed he had emerged as the find of the season during the spring campaign.

Needless to say, the perception on Leeside was that he would be one of the first names pencilled in when the selectors sat down to pick the team to face Tipp last week, and his omission from the first fifteen had Rebel supporters scratching their heads wondering what had transpired since the conclusion of the league to warrant his consignment to the bench.

He had starred with the Under-21 team in the interim, so it didn’t appear as if it was because he had suffered a dip in form. There was no talk about injury being an issue for Kelleher either, and presumably the decision to exclude him hadn’t been reached because he hadn’t been going well in training.

Only the management can reveal why they made such a questionable call, but surely it didn’t stem from the belief that Tipp weren’t without a chance of foiling Cork’s bid to advance to the Munster final, and that they didn’t want to show their full hand ahead of an anticipated showdown with Kerry.

Kelleher didn’t line out in Cork’s last league outing against Kerry, but that didn’t mean Eamonn Fitzmaurice and the rest of the Kingdom backroom setup would have been completely in the dark as to what he was likely to bring to the table if they had to defend their provincial crown against the Rebels.

It simply beggars belief that the Cork management would be naive enough to think otherwise,

and that if Tipp had been dispatched while keeping Kelleher in reserve last Sunday, it would have left them with some sort of a secret weapon to take to Killarney.

Whatever prompted the decision on Kelleher, it’s one that Cork have every reason to regret now, as it probably cost them the game against Tipp. They were seven points behind when Kelleher was introduced for the second half, and he made an immediate impact, winning converted frees from the first two balls that were pumped in his direction.

He continued to cause major problems for the Tipp rearguard as the second half progressed, and one can only imagine what damage he might have inflicted had he been planted at the edge of the square when Cork were backed by the wind in the first half.

Cork shot nine wides in that first half, and, lacking creativity, they looked a very disjointed outfit for the most part. Their kick-passing left a lot to be desired, and they seemed at a loss as to how to push forward with purpose once Tipp retreated in numbers when they didn’t have the ball.

Cork also got plenty of bodies behind the ball when Tipp had possession, but they were always susceptible to the home side’s speedy and cohesive raids from the back.

Tipp’s running game brought them two goals, they could have had another but for Ryan Price’s penalty save from Michael Quinlivan, and, not for the first time, Cork’s defensive frailties were plain for all to see in the first half.

Once Peter Kelleher came on, he provided Cork with a focal point in attack at least, but much of the damage had been done by then.

Despite gifting Tipp a goal through Ryan’s Price’s misplaced short kick-out in the second half, Cork could still have won the game, and they must be credited for their spirited comeback which enabled them to erase a nine-point deficit during the last ten minutes.

But it doesn’t alter the fact that the result was a major setback for the team, and that their performance overall did nothing to dispel the notion they have slipped rapidly down the rankings since enduring an embarrassing defeat at Kildare’s hands in last year’s All-Ireland qualifier.

Maybe that’s being less than generous to Tipp, but it’s worth noting that Kildare shipped an unmerciful hammering from Kerry after beating Cork last year.

And, while Tipp are entitled to savour this famous victory over Cork, one is inclined to reserve judgement on whether they are equipped to measure up against the game’s big guns until after they have thrown down the gauntlet to the Kingdom in the Munster final.

Whatever prompted the decision on Kelleher it’s one that Cork have every reason to regret now