The changing face of Cork football brings smile back
Not only that, they scored more in that 2011 Division 1 final than they did on Saturday.
This latest victory had suction, but for different reasons. The fact at least seven of the players Brian Cuthbert sent out had never previously played at the venue. The fact he has used 27 players, almost his entire training squad, since the start of February as his side continued their 100% record.
And, yes, the fact it’s been quite some time since Cork have kicked as much ball at Croke Park. As deceiving as the open nature of this game was at times, especially in the first-half, there were some genuinely beautiful chains of kick-passes put together by the visitors.
“I always go back to the boy in the back garden,” said Cuthbert about Cork’s attacking style. “What does he do? He picks up a ball and wants to kick it! I’d have looked at football over the last few years and felt if we can develop a team that can kick the ball accurately and quickly and into the right space, and have players who can see that space and get in after it.... Dublin were a template for that last year. I think players want to kick the ball and we’ve got players who can kick it so our game-plan is based around the strengths of our squad. At the moment, our players are enjoying playing it and whatever comes of it in the end will come.”
Capping it all off was the heartwarming sight of Colm O’Neill putting Cork ahead in the 62nd minute and then adding a second in the final seconds of normal time after team-mate Donal Óg Hodnett had pounced on Jonny Cooper’s lapse in concentration to restore their lead.
The football in the first-half mightn’t have been breathtaking but the rate of scores surely was. By the 15th minute, the scoreline was 0-8 to 0-6 in Dublin’s favour, replicating the full-time result from their All-Ireland semi-final win over Donegal three years ago.
“I’d be very unhappy with some of the points we coughed up in the first-half,” said Cuthbert. “We gave Dublin too much time on the ball and let them build the way they want to build.”
The 19,626 crowd were lapping in the entertainment, though, and John Hayes was the chief ringmaster, claiming 1-3 before the break. His well-taken goal in the 26th minute, which made up for Brian Hurley’s shot being saved by Stephen Cluxton, was the difference at the break, Cork leading 1-10 to 0-10.
As effective as the quick, high ball into Cork’s full-forward line was working for them and saw Sean George substituted, it was Daniel Goulding’s long range expertise from dead balls that sustained them.
Dublin’s discipline was questionable but Goulding was punishing them from sniper distance, his 41st minute free from the Davin Stand sideline into the Hill 16 End a deadly strike.
“Dan’s freetaking kept us in the game. When a team knows you’ve a freetaker as good as Stephen Cluxton or Daniel Goulding you have to play a certain way and they cannot foul you. Add into that the black card and there’s a bit of freedom to play and the way the game is morphing at the moment is going to suit teams who can move quickly and move the ball quickly. The rules as they stand at the moment suit us, with a freetaker like Daniel. Happy days.”
With Cork taking off both their midfielders by the 58th minute, they struggled to retain their own kick-out and lost their lead a minute later when Paul Hudson finished a tidy point.
“I’d have to look at my group and my team and say we don’t have the grizzled competitors that win All-Irelands at the moment,” conceded Cuthbert.
“Dublin at the finish there had a lot of All-Ireland winners and a lot of guys who have won two in the last three years.”
However, the All-Ireland champions were wasteful with their scoring attempts, managing eight second-half wides to add to their five before the interval.
Coming from a move originating from a Cork kickout, replacement Shane Carthy drew Dublin level again before Hodnett seized on Cooper’s error and O’Neill fired over his second.
Jim Gavin wasn’t pointing fingers at his defender nor the erratic shot-takers. “The big thing for me is that they created a lot of opportunities, and some of the shot selection, we need to have a look at the tape and again we need to go back and just learn the lessons from it. We’d never criticise the players. If the shot is on, for taking the shot on — and we’d never call it a mistake. It’s just a lesson to be learned, and hopefully we can build on that.”
How Cork withstood the urge to cynically defend their lead in the dying stages, instead getting as many bodies back, won’t be remembered but it was another facet of a thoroughly commendable evening for them.
Scorers for Dublin: C Costello (0-4, 1 free); K McManamon, C Kilkenny (1 free), S Cluxton (0-2 frees, 1 45) (0-3 each); C Reddin (0-2); C O’Sullivan, P Hudson, S Carthy (0-1 each).
Scorers for Cork: D Goulding (0-7, frees); J Hayes (1-3); D Hodnett, C O’Neill (0-2 each); B Hurley, F Goold, P Kerrigan (0-1 each).
Subs for Dublin: J McCaffrey for S George (25); D Nelson for E Lowndes (h-t); E O’Gara for D Byrne (47); P Hudson for C Costello (52); S Carthy for C Reddin (64).
Subs for Cork: K Crowley for C Dorman (26); D Hodnett for N Galvin (h-t); C O’Neill for J Hayes (51); R Deane for A Walsh (55); A O’Sullivan for F Goold (58); C O’Driscoll for B Hurley (69, blood sub); K O’Driscoll for J Loughrey (inj 70+1).
Referee: P Hughes (Armagh)
Jonny Cooper’s uncharacteristic error in handpassing the ball to Donal Óg Hodnett in the 68th minute sent the young forward on his way to putting Cork ahead for the ultimate time.
Colm O’Neill’s return to action after a 12-month lay-off from a third cruciate operation. A delight to see for any genuine football supporter.
12 points scored in the first 12 minutes.
John Hayes was nailed on for man of the match but fadedin the second half. Daniel Goulding’s sharpshooting backboned Cork’s win.
Nothing to see here. Honestly.
Jim Gavin had made ninepositional changes at theoutset and they appearedto be working, building a four-point lead by the eighth minute. Cork’s swift tactics, though, had Dublin’s full-back line tied in knots and the Dubs’ re-jigged half-back line were guilty of fouling too much.
A couple of harsh calls against Dublin but otherwise a solid showing by Padraig Hughes.
Dublin entertain Kildare in Croke Park on Saturday; Cork are also at home the following afternoon, when Derry come to town.
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