Cork football’s road to recovery
very trying circumstances.
Cork’s midfield coped well all game and were impressive on the ball on more than their fair share of occasions – but it was up front where Cork looked really good.
Attackers like Corbett, O’Donovan, Michael O’Neill should be around for some time to come and apart from collecting silverware that is exactly what selector Ollie (Rue) O’Sullivan believes was this side’s brief from the word go.
“That is this management’s aspiration, not just winning a minor All-Ireland, but to develop guys so that they can go forward, represent Cork, and bring the Sam Maguire back in the near future.”
O’Sullivan added that “this can’t be the end, this is only the start of the journey. It is a long time since a group of young Cork lads got the experience to come into Croke Park, get into the dressing-room, and get used to the crowd on big match-days. But they have to have a desire to come back and win more. There are a number of guys with the ability, if they have the desire, to go forward and play senior for Cork.”
O’Sullivan was quite emotional as the dust settled as he prepared to bring the cup back to Mourneabbey and Clyda Rovers, the place where his late mother had grown up.
“This final was an unbelievable battle. When you win a battle like that, it is a character-growing experience. That is what we want for Cork football. These guys will carry that experience with them for a long time, but hopefully, they won’t sit on it. Hopefully, a few of them playing Cork senior within a few years.
“I am so delighted for Cork football and for those that put in the work at club level, underage level. I think it is just brilliant today. I have enjoyed this journey so much. I am very close to the lads, they are a very special bunch of boys and they have given a huge commitment to this and they deserve every accolade they get after this”.
The importance of momentum could not be overstated by the selector and that momentum came from areas outside this particular Cork camp.
“They went at Kerry and I know they came up short, but they did the county proud that day. Then the U20s followed and when we went to Tullamore for our All-Ireland quarter-final, hearing they (U20s) had won gave us such a huge lift while we were in the dressing-room beforehand. Momentum at this level is a huge factor and right now Cork has that positive momentum.”
Minor footballs, even ones as good as Cork’s current crop, don’t always make the transition to senior, in fact more will drop out than stay with even fewer making the step up to play with the big boys.
All eyes will be on the new All-Ireland champions but only time will tell who has the desire, the skill and the opportunity to go all the way. What must be said is that there are at least four of the current crop that could and maybe even should be good enough to play senior but could and should don’t cut the muster and only hard work and dedication will ensure these players progress.
Until that day, Cork has managed to pull two All-Ireland titles, a first Super 8 appearance and plenty optimism from 2019 and while few Leeside could have even dreamt of a season like that when Cork’s seniors slumped to division three earlier in the year, there seems to be a long way to go yet before Cork can build a senior side that can genuinely compete with the likes of Dublin or Kerry on the biggest stage of all – but there can be no doubt now that the county is definitely on the right road.