Cork's 'hot wash': Time to move Mark Coleman to centre forward
Cork's Mark Coleman? Shoud Cork move him to lead the attack for Championship?
“It always seems impossible until it’s done”
SATURDAY night and they flooded out of Semple Stadium, reflecting in red, how long more before the wait for silverware ends?
Pre hurling's league final when I saw Liam Cahill refusing to even entertain the idea of appealing Austin Gleeson's red card I felt that it was an early and emphatic statement of intent.
It’s quite easy to sit here and put words to a screen about certain Cork failings but players and management will know better than anyone the key areas that let them down in Thurles.
I was always intrigued by the player diaries published in the Examiner on the All-Ireland winning teams. Last year, Tyrone’s Niall Morgan and Limerick's Nickie Quaid offered revealing insights pre- and post-final. But how often does a losing effort get scrutinised to the same extent? The defeated want it erased from the memory as soon as possible when it's the final game of the campaign. No such scenario in April - Cork are left to revise and fix it asap.
This league final loss will have hurt the group. Those feelings of hurt from last year's All-Ireland final will have consumed them as they sat in the changing rooms of Semple Stadium. Silence. That was always the hardest part, not knowing or wanting to say anything because what’s there to say in that moment.
Bodies being assessed for damage by the medical team who are keenly aware every hour is critical in having a full squad to pick from in two weeks' time. Management outside the changing room doors assessing where it went wrong and what positives to employ to lift the players' spirits. Usually post-game, players and management have a debrief or what is commonly known as a 'hot wash' to evaluate and ascertain if everyone is seeing the same system errors and mistakes.
Pat Keane, the Cork kit man, tapping the heads of every man as he hands back the spare hurleys, smiling: “Head up young man, we’re still in the fight.”
And that they are.
This game is ruthless. There is no time for feeling sorry for yourself now. It’s easy to sit down and go through the niceties. If Cork hadn't so many wides, if they'd taken goal chances. But first off, they must sit down and look hard at the biggest areas of concern - the goal-scoring chances Waterford created.
Cork's defence came under a lot of criticism but certain positions should be selected on the basis of specific characteristics - not on ball-playing ability. We have excellent forwards who can do that.
As a centre-back, you always want to be facing rather than chasing. The notion that moving Mark Coleman out of six at this stage of the year would be a knee-jerk reaction is rubbish. Regardless of where he plays, he’s still Cork's leader. It’s not that Mark isn’t an excellent centre-back but I don’t think Cork are utilising his hurling capabilities. His skill level, vision, striking and scoring are all top class and are wasted in a position where he basically doesn't have a chance to showcase those talents.
If I could tear up the script, I would play Mark at 11, doing exactly what every 11 is doing to him. Dropping out to midfield, spreading the play and coming off the shoulder at full pace. This wouldn’t be alien to Mark either as he plays a lot of his club hurling in the half-forward line. Imagine the headache for Declan Hannon and Limerick's midfield pairing with Coleman floating around that area?
Who comes in at centre back? Ciarán Joyce. This young man has a long career ahead of him and understands the role with Ger Mellerick and Robert Downey either side of him. Three out and out defenders in your half-back line who genuinely like defending. Tim O'Mahony’s running game is as strong as any of the Waterford contingent and when he breaks the line, positive things come from it. The issue, however, is that when the play breaks down, the structure is in chaos with the opposition hitting ball down that open channel. Tim O'Mahony and Darragh Fitzgibbon at midfield would be some engine room with Tim the sitting midfielder working back to cover the pocket in front of Joyce.
Some of the above suggestions might seem extreme or reactionary but they're not - and teams in the past have taken the risk. Limerick’s move of Kyle Hayes from eleven to wing back freshened things when nobody was looking. John Conlon from full forward to centre-back. Brian Corcoran from six to full Forward.
John Kiely and Paul Kinnerk will have noticed those gaps that you and I could see Saturday night. I’ve felt it and lived it, that feeling of being exposed on the biggest stage last August and Limerick have the template to do just that if you let them.
The definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
What’s going to be different come April 17?
