The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Poor timing and poor words in Cork statement
JUST when we thought the week couldn’t get any more bizarre having witnessed Kerry’s 7-16 to 0-10 win over Kildare on Sunday the crazy stuff continued on Monday when an email from the Cork GAA County Board PRO dropped into our inbox.
By now you’re probably well aware of the contents of the press release issued on behalf of the Cork County Board, but just in case we’ve attached the whole tasty morsel for your perusal and/ or amusement.
Anyhow, here’s a few observations on said statement.
(1) Quite how any executive of officers could sign off on such a statement for public issue and not be awake to the negativity and criticism and poking of fun that would be visited upon them is beyond us. And if they were wise to that and still went ahead with their statement then perhaps they should be given more credit then they are currently getting. Whatever else you might say about them you’d have to say ‘dem boys have balls’.
(2) Quite how the statement’s author(s) could make the leap from a wrongfully awarded penalty in the 52nd minute of a game in early July to missing out on an All-Ireland semi-final in late August is beyond us. Yes, the penalty award was a wrong call but Kerry might have won that game anyway. If they could rescue a draw in the dying seconds who’s to say they wouldn’t have won the game from a position of just being three points down with 20 minutes left when the penalty was awarded.
(3) The timing of the issue of the statement is interesting. Brian Cuthbert signalled his decision not to seek re-appointment on Tuesday evening of last week. It took six days for the County Board to formally and publicly acknowledge Cuthbert’s contribution by which time Kerry had pummelled Kildare in Croke Park. It’s hard not to get the feeling that Kerry’s win over Kildare coloured the statement in some way.
Having been beaten by Kildare by eight points in their Qualifier match the previous weekend, it’s difficult not to imagine the Cork blazers getting increasingly irked at the way Kerry dispatched the Lilywhites eight days later. It’s as if every one of Kerry’s seven goals was a personal slight on the Cork team and officers.
(4) Though the statement was signed off by Cork Board PRO Edmond Forrest and in no way attaches itself to Brian Cuthbert or the players, there is a certain irony in that while the statement praises Cuthbert for his contribution to the senior team and Cork GAA it also implicates Cuthbert in the sentiment of the statement. The results against Kerry and Kildare were surely hard enough for Cuthbert to digest and deal with without the County Board kicking up another storm just as the country, if not the county, was beginning to move on from Cuthbert and Cork and their failings. The blazers might be saying ‘thanks Brian’ but we’re certain Brian won’t be reciprocating the love this week.
(4) Given that the author(s) bemoan the “short turn-around time between the replay, played in exhausting weather conditions, and the qualifier game against Kildare” we look forward to the Cork County Board bringing a motion to Congress next year to have this anomaly corrected. Furthermore, we are sure they will lobby the Munster Council to fix any future Munster Final replay for the following weekend and not two weeks out as was the case this year. Further to all that, we expect Frank Murphy will have the motions perfectly worded so as to not have them ruled out of order.
(5) Quite what Frank can do about the “exhausting weather conditions” we’re not so certain about. Not sure if a hot, sundrenched July Sunday would be to Cork’s liking either. On that point we assume there will be air-con installed in the newly developed Pairc Ui Chaoimh.
(6) Finally, on the notion that Cork might be persuaded to appoint Cuthbert’s successor from outside the county methinks the statement shoots that one out of the water.
“Brian was acting as an unpaid volunteer, as are all Cork team managers, coaches and selectors” the statement tells us.
That also tells us that in the absence of any wads of cash available (over or under the table) to the team manager the ‘outside’ men won’t be beating a path to the banks of the Lee.