Spirit of conviction ensures Cork persevere
WHEN they get around to the end of season award ceremonies, Peadar Healy will be hopeful that at least one will be winging Cork’s way. The Rebels boss has already nominated Luke Connolly’s 70th minute flick to the Tipperary net for consideration for goal of the season, and while no doubt there will be a lot more spectacular netbusters before the summer is out, as ever beauty is in the eye of the beholder. ‘Give me a better goal than that this year and I’d love to have a good look at it,’ he proclaimed ahead of Sunday’s Munster final showdown with Kerry. It was goal sourced in substance rather than style – although there was much to admire in the freewheeling, hard-running move which released Connolly for his finish – but it is none the poorer for that. In fact, given where Cork football is coming from, it is all the better for it. Conor Sweeney’s 69th minute goal for Tipperary had the feel of yet another sucker-punch in a year where Cork have spent most of their time on their knees taking one blow after another. Just two wins in the league’s second tier – a disastrous campaign including defeat to Clare – followed by a one-point victory over Waterford merely served as build up to the season-clinching stinker when they failed to register a point in the first half against Tipperary. For all that, Healy insists that he never doubted his player’s ability to strike back. ‘I looked up at the clock and it was 69-something minutes and I thought, “we’ll get a draw out of this at least.” ‘I had that belief in them; this crowd are resilient. We had the momentum at the time, it [the goal] went against the play and 22 seconds later the ball was in the Tipp net. ‘That just showed how resilient this group of players are.’ They have needed to be, and so has he. Cork have been subjected to relentless criticism, with the persistent allegation that they are operating out of their depth. ‘You know in this game that, when it comes to championship, it’s brutal out there. ‘Nobody doesn’t get it at some time or other but it is part and parcel of management, you have to get up and get on with it. You can’t dwell too long on it, you just have to do everything you can to improve things. ‘You have to give great credit to the players, they are putting in savage work, the backroom team and the management; everyone is doing their damnedest to improve Cork football. ‘This bunch is very resilient, they’ve had knock-backs, we all have, but it’s all about the next game.’ And that’s when Cork will have to do it all again.