Patrick Kelly: High stakes in Ennis as Clare and Cork reach for a higher bar
Cork’s Ian Maguire and Clare’s Keelan Sexton collide during the Allianz Football League Division 2 match at Cusack Park in 2019. Picture: Sam Barnes
Cast your minds back to the winter of 2013 and to Colm Collins’ appointment as manager of the Clare senior footballers. Clare’s 2013 season involved a mid-table finish in Division 4, a nine-point Munster semi-final defeat to Cork, and a 16-point demolition at the hands of Laois in Ennis.
Fast-forward almost eight years and Clare with Collins at the helm have transformed their fortunes to such an extent that they are within touching distance of a place in the top flight of league football.
Highlights in those seven-and-a-bit seasons are the 2016 All Ireland quarter-final appearance, promotions from Division 4 and Division 3 followed by four consecutive seasons in Division 2. They have had the misfortune in Munster to be drawn on the same side as Kerry in every Munster campaign bar one since 2015 and to have met the Kingdom in their historic run to the quarter–final in 2016.
That their elimination in the All-Ireland series in recent years has come at the hands of Mayo, Armagh, and Meath is another signpost that they are losing to teams operating in the top eight to 10 in the country.
Contrast that arc of progress to the fortunes of the Cork football team who had enjoyed a glut of National League successes to finding themselves spiralling down to Division 3 before bouncing back up last year. The league really is the best barometer of progress and achievement in football given that this and last year’s championships reverted to knockout football.
In all likelihood, both sides will face Kerry in the Munster championship and it would be a very harsh supporter of either side to be too critical should they exit at the hands of Dublin’s most likely challengers. Hence, it is to the league that we must look to judge this season’s campaigns.
Consistency is an aspiration for all teams but how do we measure consistency? Is it performance-based, results-based or a combination of both? The Cork football camp has publicly expressed consistency as a target in recent seasons. Last year’s seven-from-seven victories in Division 3 can be looked upon as a degree of consistency and success but that has to be balanced against expected levels and abilities of a team and its opponents.
For me, consistency is about winning all the games you are expected to win, most of the games that are deemed 50-50 and the odd one against the odds (e.g., Cork-Kerry 2020). The most recent example of consistency from a Cork point of view is going back to the eight-year period from 2005 to 2012.
Granted Cork never overcame the hoodoo of Kerry in Croke Park but in that period Cork weren’t caught by any of the so-called lesser lights and beat their fair share of teams of a similar standard in important league and knockout championship games. Consistency comes from a mature group who are physically able as well as having the requisite level of ability.
This year’s Allianz League has seen Cork continue to place their trust in a core group of players while also looking to introduce some of the recent Under 20s. They appear to have identified Daniel O’Mahony and Seán Meehan as their go-to man-markers and both acquitted themselves very well against an admittedly toothless Laois attack last week.
That said, in the first half alone against Laois, Mattie Taylor and the aforementioned due were guilty of the concession of four scoreable frees in situations where Cork had at least one extra man in close proximity to the man in possession. Eoin Cleary and David Tubridy will make Cork pay for such rash tackling and indiscipline in Ennis on Sunday.
Cork selections from numbers eight to 12 will give the greatest indication of the intended style of play for Sunday. In Portlaoise, last Saturday, Ian Maguire, Paul Walsh, Seán White, Ruairí Deane, and Kevin O’Driscoll meant that Cork’s greatest strength was their physical prowess in running the ball.
Contrast this to Kerry (in a clear acknowledgement of last year’s errors) who found room to include Paul Geaney and Seán O’Shea across the half forward line against Dublin. In any given front eight you would hope for a mixture of ball-winners, powerful runners, playmakers and finishers.
Balance
The question is, have Cork found the right balance? A scoring return of 2-3 from those five players in Portlaoise suggests there is nothing to worry about but a team needs more than one string to their bow.
To be fair to Cork, the presence of Ciarán Sheehan at full-forward gave them the option to vary the game. Ian Maguire’s excellent long delivery resulted in a mark and score for Sheehan but this option was used sparingly.
Cork were willing to kick through the lines at times as kick passes from Sean Powter, John O’Rourke, and Luke Conolly showed for Seán White’s early goal. O’Rourke was busy running from the ‘D’ but an extra player staying high and running laterally on the half-forward line would allow Cork to reduce the number of counter attacks that slow to a walking pace.
Tomorrow’s clash between Clare and Cork is as important as anything we’ll see from these teams later in the summer. For Cork staying in Division Two would be seen as an acceptable campaign but nothing to celebrate. Relegation would be a disaster.
Lose in Ennis and in all likelihood, they will face a relegation playoff against Down or Westmeath. Win and a promotion playoff against Mayo or Meath likely awaits (possibly depending on score difference). After a lacklustre opening day defeat to Kildare, Cork responded with an aggressive high press against Laois. Their approach Sunday will have to be similarly daring.
For Clare, the game is huge. In front of the TG4 cameras (1.45pm), Clare have an opportunity to showcase the progress made in recent years and leave themselves 70 minutes from facing the likes of Dublin and Kerry as equals in 2022.
Clare have beaten Cork on each of the three most recent league encounters with two of those victories coming in Ennis by resounding winning margins (eight and nine points respectively), so form and home comforts are on their side.
Cusack Park plays as a tight field at the best of times but expect little breathing room for either side on Sunday.
