McCarthy: This game is not a free shot for us

SATURDAY night will be Cork football manager Ronan McCarthy’s will send his troops into action in a game that probably won’t define his stewardship, but will give a serious indicator as to where this particular project is headed.

The Munster Football Final is as traditional in these parts as roast beef on a Sunday or fish on a Friday, however, it has become much more of a penance in recent times as the Kingdom continue to blow away those that would dream of lifting the coveted old title.

McCarthy has been around the block and while this is his first year at the helm of Cork football he is well aware of what this particular event next Saturday night is all about and the impact it could have on his mid-year report card.

“We are not looking at this game as a free shot. We will take every game on its merits. We have been giving the guys the message that you have to go out and perform every time you play and this applies here as well.

“We will to go out against what is a very good side, a top team and meet them head on and see can we give a performance. I have said it many times there is huge quality in our group. You just have to look at our bench against Tipperary, it is a bench that will be even stronger again when we play against Kerry.

“I believe there is real intent in the team, they want to be successful but we have to go out and deliver a performance. You can’t guarantee any result, but we must deliver the performance and see where that takes us.”

While the win over Tipperary is obviously a bonus McCarthy was clear that the win hasn’t set Cork on any path they weren’t already on.

“Of course it is easier to come in on the Monday after a win like that but really I think the lads have been steady and they have been like that since the start of the year. They just knuckle down and get on with it. There is no big highs and lows, but of course they enjoyed it.

“We can’t really go around saying we are a very young team or an inexperienced team – there is a number of guys that have been there before. I think we have a good age profile in the team, there is a lot of guys that have a Munster

Final under their belt and that will be a help to us coming into the game.

“We brought in two for debuts and two off the bench in the win over Tipperary so that is something we have to keep in mind too – we have to keep getting new players onto the pitch as it helps with player development.”

And what of his opponent’s win over Clare?

“They were very impressive, but they have great quality in their team as they always have and they had a real intensity in their game right from when the ball was thrown in to the end – they have some very talented players and an outstanding manager that always keeps them on a steady keel so you couldn’t be but impressed by them but that is the nature of the game we are in but the biggest challenge for us was Tipperary and now we have jumped that hurdle Kerry is next and it is a great test for our fellows and they are really looking forwards to it and it is an opportunity to pit yourself against one of the best sides in the country.”

On a personal level McCarthy feels that he and his team have almost done all they can at this point and are now looking to get the finer points resolved before throw in Saturday week.

“I am looking forward to it. I have a very simple philosophy on it. I have my own way of doing things. It has had some reasonable degree of success for me in the past and I know that when that team go out onto the pitch against Kerry that they are well prepared.

“There is real quality in the group and we have done all we can to get them prepared and after that whether it is victory or defeat you have to look yourself in the mirror and ask yourself did you do everything you could.

“I kind of have to detach myself from it all. Of course I want Cork to be successful and want these players to be successful but to some extent the work has already been done and we are only fine tuning things now.

“They have worked hard, and the backroom team have worked very hard over the last six months so you are hoping that, just like the Tipperary game, you will get the performance on the night.”

Cork have it all to do this weekend but with a fresh faced McCarthy trying to steer from the side line perhaps the Rebels should be shorter odds than the bookies are touting at present.