Optimism still remains for Rebels
Diarmuid Sheehan argues that while Cork may not have been good on Sunday afternoon there are grounds for optimism in 2018
WHEN it comes to Cork football it’s hard to be on a downer all the time so even for the most pessimistic of Cork football supporters last weekend with Louth coming to town was an opportunity to open up and wax lyrically about what Cork football has to offer going forward, in defence and equally importantly at this time of the year what the men in red have on the bench.
Last weekend’s fixture was a must win, a dead cert, with little doubting that Cork would win but that still didn’t answer what would come from the day. Would it be a cricket score or a nail biting slog?
The first 10 minutes left few in doubt that Pairc Uí Rinn was about to witness a rout, whether it would be of epic proportions, well only time would tell but this one had a comfortable day at the office written all over it.
Roll on 60 minutes or so later and a quick cursory glance at the scoreboard and the seven-point win looked to confirm most of the pre-game expectations however it must be said the margin could and really should have been greater.
Now analyse what actually happened during the missing one hour and things get a little more worrying.
Cork never looked like losing this one so right there any cause for sheer panic can be put to one side, however, there are serious questions to be asked with the answers far from obvious at this juncture.
Last weekend was never going to be Cork’s biggest test so anything like a close-run thing was never anticipated (not on the stands anyway). All that said, Louth started poorly, conceded early, trailed by eight at the break, but managed to cut that margin to just four without even bagging a goal and if they had managed to burst the net, something they had five realistic chances of doing, then this one could have been so different for all concerned.
Cork started brightly with
plenty running, no shortage of ambition and a confidence that probably has come thanks to their win the previous weekend, but unfortunately the home side were unable to keep the pace and power on track as the Leinster men fought back after the break to start waves of concern through the dedicated supporters lining the old Pairc Uí Rinn stands.
Up front the likes of Colm O’Neill and Mark Collins managed to keep the scoreboard ticking over but neither had the game of their lives. O’Neill, it should be said did look lively and scored a terrific long-range effort in the first half, however, the rest of his scores came from placed balls.
There is no doubting that the absence of Paul Kerrigan (still in All Ireland club championship with Nemo) is something that is affecting Cork’s ability to cut sides open, but Cork must have a credible replacement on tap if the influential striker is out for a sustained period. And that really is what Ronan McCarthy would have been looking to last Sunday.
Well, did the manager see what he would hve wanted? Hard to tell right now. A few debuts and the likes of Matty Taylor getting his first proper run (35 minutes) – for that McCarthy would be pleased, but it must be said that the new boys didn’t make the team performance better on the day.
Cork struggled in the second period and for 20 minutes looked like the visitors, but an ability to take the goal chances when they came was what separated the sides.
Cork looked like they had more gears to go through if required but unfortunately, they didn’t seem to be able to up their
Fermoy’s Tomás Clancy also did well, as one would expect from the new seasoned performer
collective performance when the opposition pushed them.
Cork’s net minder on the day Ryan Price did do well with two-point blank saves, but the defensive pack in front of the O’Donovan Rossa man let a plucky Louth attack through far too easily.
Fermoy’s Tomás Clancy also did well, as one would expect from the now seasoned performer, which should bode well for his own season, but Cork still have a lot to do if they are first make it out of Division 2 and then make it to this year’s goal, the Super 8s.
Despite plenty pessimism leaving the ground last Sunday it must be said that Cork do have something about them this year. They do look good, really good when they run at sides from deep and they do have a strong middle third, especially with Ian Maguire playing well.
Defensively there is work to do, of that there is little doubt, but with O’Neill showing well with Collins and Sean White also impressing and the return of Nemo’s talent imminent – this season may well see Cork moving in the right direction after all.