We got reward for hard work says selector O’Neill
SELECTOR Eoin O’Neill agreed it wasn’t a particularly enlightening game from a Cork perspective, such were the gross limitations of the opposition, but he was pleased with the application shown by the players and delighted with the win.
“It was all about getting back up on the horse today, and, while we were expected to win, we were also expected to win the last day here against Tipperary, so we’re very happy with the way it went.
“We went out with a bit of plan, and the lads stuck with it, and we basically got the reward for some very hard work,” he said.
“Our work-rate is what pleased me most, but there were several other positives as well, not least being the fact that we had a few fellas coming back who hadn’t played for a while, and they got through a good bit of the game. Alan O’Connor did a great job for the 60 minutes he was on the field, and his return is a great boost.
“You always know what you’re going to get from Alan, he’s a great leader and a huge presence for us, and we missed him badly when he was unavailable, there is no point in saying otherwise.
“We need his experience more than ever now, because we have a lot of young guys on the panel like Peter Kelleher, who is certainly a player with a lot of potential. He got a goal today, and he could have got one or two more, and if he keeps working hard, he has a very bright future,” O’Neill remarked.
He felt that Cork should have won the game by more, pointing out that failure to avail of most of their goal-chances was a disappointing aspect of the display.
“We had seven or eight goal-chances, but we only scored from two of them, and you’d be hoping for a better conversion-rate than that.
“It’s still better than not creating chances, and if we can come up with a few more the next day, we might be in better shape to make the most of them.
“I thought we were a bit more solid defensively, which was another positive, and, all in all, this display is bound to give us a bit of a boost confidence-wise.”