Another Munster championship and once more, Cork are staring into the abyss. You can say that they’ve been a bit unlucky in that they responded well to a disappointing start by showing significant improvement in the match against Clare, and maybe deserved more but’s that’s the most positive spin you can put on it.
Last year, they were also unfortunate and a one-point defeat narrowly prevented them putting a stop to Limerick even reaching the All-Ireland stages.
Realistically, though, you can’t be unlucky all the time. You have to look beyond the hard-luck narrative. Either you get there or you don’t and a lot of that is within your own control.
Cork have won three of the four most recent under-20 All-Irelands and been in five of the last six finals, going back to the days of under-21 before the age was lowered. So, there were raised eyebrows when the team to play Waterford in the first match was named.
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They still had four players who started the 2013 All-Ireland: Damien Cahalane, Séamus Harnedy, Patrick Horgan and Conor Lehane. Cahalane and Lehane were replaced for the Clare match but you’d have to say that Horgan and Harnedy were among Cork’s best players that day.
It was also a high-quality match with plenty of goals. Clare were on a redemption mission after letting Limerick slip through their fingers, but Cork stayed in the game until the end.
I have been disappointed by Cork at various stages over the past couple of years, having expected that cohort now in their mid-20s to kick on from promising starts.
The Colemans, Fitzgibbons, O’Mahonys, Shane Kingston have good experience at this stage but haven’t generally been able to pull it out of the fire when needed. This year Cork have – again – conceded goals and, certainly in the Waterford match, didn’t display much method or pattern to their play.
They overplayed the ball out the field even though they looked to have a decent threat inside with Shane Barrett and, particularly, Alan Connolly, who definitely showed up well.
Then there has been the disciplinary issue. It’s hard enough to make gains in Munster hurling with a full complement but Cork have had two red cards already, one per match and these were tight enough contests. You could say the Cahalane sending off against Waterford was harsh but for an experienced player already on a yellow, it was a needless risk.
Captain Seán O’Donoghue’s second yellow against Clare was obvious and equally unnecessary, coming after he had executed a great hook and at a moment of zero danger to the team. In the six minutes that followed, Cork conceded two goals.
There was also an interesting incident in that match. In the 68th minute, David Reidy chased a ball into the left corner, lost his stick and dribbled it soccer-style towards the corner before kicking it off the field and down the tunnel.
Instead of getting on with it, half a dozen Cork players, including Patrick Collins, the goalkeeper, got involved in a pulling and dragging contest with Clare players.
It was the best part of two minutes later by the time play resumed after Reidy and Mark Coleman had both been yellow carded. Who did all of this benefit? It certainly wasn’t Cork, who didn’t have time to get involved in a brawl. They needed to restart play as quickly as possible.
As a team, they appeared to get overly het up about refereeing decisions in the match – as did the crowd. James Owens was also a bit inconsistent in the match after that but neither Tipperary nor Waterford were getting anywhere near Cork’s anxiety levels.
You can see the source of the anxiety given all the underage success, the huge support base and glittering tradition. That adds up to a ton weight of expectation that the least they should be achieving is getting out of Munster.
Of course, at this stage we know that’s not easy. It can come down to one-point matches and scoring difference – in other words, a bounce of a ball here or there. Take Limerick out and there’s such little difference between the other counties and that’s why SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh will be full.
This is also why it’s not beyond Cork to beat Limerick. They got very close last year. They have no inhibitions about playing them for a start. Their style of running with the ball at Limerick poses more problems for the champions that simply pumping ball down on top of their all-conquering half-back line.
Cork have traditionally been able to get the Limerick half backs turned and that is a box that when ticked, gives you a chance.
The number of goals they concede remains a problem. Peter Casey is out injured for the season – which is a massive loss for Limerick – but Aaron Gillane is still doing well and dangerous on that inside line. Cork will have to tighten up on the last day when Shane O’Donnell and Mark Rodgers did a pile of damage.
Injuries haven’t broken for them, either. Ciarán Joyce’s absence leaves a big hole in the defence – he was outstanding against Clare. Robbie O’Flynn’s ongoing injury struggles deprive the team of an important, fast-track forward who in every match he started last year looked a really exciting player.
Against that, for a team on maximum points Limerick, as far as I can see, have not been flying it this season. They were well beaten for three-quarters of the Clare match and baled out by three goals that went down in the self-harm category.
The dominance against Tipperary was more or less consensual but for a long time in the first half, they were over-complicating things, undermined by poor touch and once again Diarmaid Byrnes missed frees he would normally score. They eventually pulled away but I think they have a lot of improving to do yet.
There is a chance for Cork to exploit that. They must take them on, 15 on 15, and not concede the puckout and allow them build out from the back. That has to be made difficult for them and sustained, which is difficult because there’s a physical toll in taking Limerick on at source. That requires 23 and not just 15.
Have Cork got those resources? Probably not but I’m not expecting a Tipperary-style blowout either. Limerick are not at their best and if Cork can show less anxiety, address their disciplinary issues and not lose their heads when the chips are down, they have a chance.
Not enough to persuade me Limerick will go down – but still, a chance.
