Tuesday, February 9, 2010 Previous editions
Monday, July 06, 2009
THE cover of the match programme in O’Connor Park on Saturday night for Cork-Offaly was significant.
The cover photograph featured Offaly’s full-back David Kenny soloing with the ball, with a superimposed Aisake O hAilpín, looking fiercely determined, just behind him. This picture featured the battle which decided the game.
Aisake had been one of Cork’s better forwards against Tipp; though he didn’t get enough of the ball that day, when any ball came his way he troubled the experienced Paul Curran.
Last Saturday night he had to wait until the 32nd minute for some quality possession, when Graham Callinan hit in a low ball, having taken a pass from Pa Cronin – my companions in the stand remarked that it was the first decent ball into the forward line.
Seconds later O hAilpín had a goal from a fierce shot off his left at a narrow angle. This gave Cork some breathing space, and a similar goal halfway through the second half decided the issue.
Having scored the first goal, though, the question that must have flashed through Aisake’s mind was why Cork’s game plan didn’t require more ball being driven into him, a question which must have exercised the minds of Cork supporters also.
Last year, as Galway fans left Thurles, having lost a game from a winning position, many of them questioned the tactic of trying for points from difficult positions on the wings when Joe Canning was being starved of ball on the edge of the square. Cork supporters must have felt the same at half-time in Tullamore.
Before Aisake’s piece of magic, Cork served up a ‘league’ performance, playing at three-quarter pace with lots of errors and some glaring inadequacies.
When the players and management sit down to view the first half of the game they’ll see the same poor wides being struck from the sideline that they saw against Tipperary – wides which cost Cork that game.
Cork had eight wides in the first half and I’d class four of those in the ‘poor option-taking’ category. What did Oscar Wilde say about errors? One can be classed as misfortune, but more than that smacks of carelessness.
This game was over 10 minutes into the second half when Offaly’s big centre-forward, Joe Brady, departed with an injury. With him went Offaly’s challenge up front.
Cork’s display improved as the game opened up and they ran out easy winners. But the first half will give manager Denis Walsh major concerns, particularly about his defence.
Cork’s half-back line were very poor under puck-outs from Offaly’s Brian Mullins, which were directed at his centre- and right-half-forwards, with Cork centre-back Ronan Curran persisting in attempts to catch the ball.
If the centre-forward sets out to stop a centre-back fielding the ball, the centre-back must adapt to this, usually using the hurley to bat the ball away, a safer tactic in the circumstances than going for a big catch.
Curran, and Sean Óg O hAilpín, to a lesser degree, failed to adapt to those circumstances and Offaly won 14 of their 18 puck-outs, mostly with their half-forwards. If Offaly had better forwards Cork could well have been behind by four or five points at half-time from losing these puck-outs.
In addition, the half-back line is a launch pad for attacks, but Cork’s didn’t deliver any quality ball to their forwards. Not one ball was sent to Cork’s right-corner-forward position in the first half – or second half for that matter.
Kilkenny’s Martin Comerford has the nickname ‘Gorta’, presumably picked up when young and thin; Cork’s right-corner-forwards will soon pick up this nickname also, not from body condition but from being starved of the ball.
Cork’s full-backs also looked uncomfortable and a slicker forward unit could well have banged in a few goals in the first quarter.
Eoin Cadogan at full back met a different challenge to Micheal Webster; on this occasion Shane Dooley was busy at the edge of the square and Cadogan was guilty of ball-watching on too many occasions (why Offaly later switched Dooley to the corner I don’t understand).
Cadogan’s distribution will also have to be slicker and he could learn a few lessons from his predecessor in this regard.
Overall, lots to do for Cork. More intensity is required and better tackling. More support must be given to the man in possession – and hurleys must be replaced at speed: a mix-up such as occurred with Sean Óg O hAilpín last Saturday night will have to be avoided.
Above all, Cork need more cohesion. Player movement is fine, but it must be organised – every player needs to be signing from the same hymn sheet.
A win is a win and maybe that’s all Cork needed last Saturday night, but a big improvement will be required for the next game.
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