Anthony Daly: A Déise masterclass means Gary Keegan will earn his Cork crust now

2 April 2022; Patrick Collins of Waterford shoots to score his side's first goal during the Allianz Hurling League Division 1 Final match between Cork and Waterford at FBD Semple Stadium in Thurles, Tipperary. Photo by Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile
When Cork levelled the match at 0-7 each in the 25th minute on Saturday night, a game which had been bubbling nicely up to that point looked set to keep rising towards boiling point. Yet before we knew what had happened, Waterford just turned up the gas and boiled Cork to a cinder in a flash.
It might sound outlandish to say that the goals from Patrick Curran and Stephen Bennett inside a minute finished the game, but they effectively did. As well as deflating Cork, it just gave Waterford that cushion that enabled them to always keep Cork at arm’s length.
It was an incredible exhibition of everything good about Waterford, especially their explosive pace and endless stamina levels and lethal goal threat. The fitness of newish names like Neil Montgomery and Jack Prendergast is off the charts. Prendergast was unlucky not to get on the end a few moves that could have ended in a couple of more goals.
That threat of green flags was always there. The four goals Waterford scored were all brilliant finishes, but it was shambolic defending from Cork, similar to what we saw in the first half of last year’s All-Ireland final. If one of their own - Roy Keane - was calling it out on Sky Sports, he’d have been apoplectic with rage.
It’s very hard to spare any of the Cork defenders from criticism because the goals can’t just be put down to just brilliant finishes when the build-up play was more governed by Cork naiveté than any brilliant Waterford construction.
A guy like Tim O’Mahony is excellent going forward but he really struggles going back towards his own goal, which was really evident last August too. I wouldn’t be critical of young Ciarán Joyce, who did well considering his youth and inexperience at this level, but he was badly exposed for Bennett’s second goal.
On the other hand, Joyce got hung out to dry by the reaction of those around him. Once Bennett caught the ball over Joyce and turned towards goal, he clearly only had one thing on his mind. Yet no Cork defender went to try and stop that danger at source by coming to meet Bennett. O’Mahony was inside the D but Bennett just veered around him and drove the ball to the net.
We all thought that having Mark Coleman sitting with Ger Millerick covering that ground in front of that central channel would conceal some of the cracks, but Millerick was miles off the pace.
He wasn’t the only one. Kieran Kingston has so many questions to answer now ahead of Limerick in 13 days’ time that he might be wondering if Cork would have been better off losing to Kilkenny by one point in the semi-final. Kieran did admit afterwards that they might learn more in defeat than victory but there’s a lot of work to be done in just two weeks. And the problems Cork need fixing won’t be easily solved in that timespan.
It’s all fine and well to say that it was an off-night and that Cork won’t be as bad again, but these trends have too much of a recurring pattern for Cork to just brush it off.
Waterford hammered them on their puckout, while Cork are elaborating too much on their short puckout and still not winning enough possession on their long restarts. Cork did create a lot of chances, but their conversion rate wasn’t high enough, while they never had the same goal threat as their opponents.
This was all about Waterford. Physically, hurling-wise, tactically, it was a masterclass. They clogged the middle to stop the Cork runners but instead of pucking the ball long and wide to Mikey Kiely and Bennett inside, they just repeatedly ran the ball, with constant runners coming off the shoulder. It was champagne stuff.
They had Cork on the backfoot all evening. Darragh Fitzgibbon came into the match in great form after scoring 1-3 against Kilkenny but he was virtually anonymous here. Cathrach Daly is still under 20, but he did more than match Fitzgibbon in every area – he surpassed him. Like so many of the other Waterford players though, Daly has pace to burn.
Waterford have it all over the field. Robbie O’Flynn, who had a good game, took off at one stage but he couldn’t get away with his jet-heeled speed from the chasing Waterford pack.
They’ll be delighted too with how their defence played, especially Conor Prunty on Patrick Horgan, even if Prunty did concede a few frees on marginal calls. In any case, the Waterford man definitely won that battle.
Horgan appeared to be annoyed at suggestions that he may be best served as an impact sub, but maybe that’s where his biggest impact could be. You’d definitely have to say that Shane Kingston made an impact when coming off the bench, as he did in last year’s All-Ireland semi-final. But you’d still feel that Shane should always be starting, maybe even ahead of Hoggie.
Cork seem to have this ploy of taking off Conor Lehane in the third quarter, but I’d have questioned the timing of that withdrawal on Saturday, especially when Lehane had just got a great score. I have no idea of what his form is like in training, but you’d wonder too if Jack O’Connor is being held back as this ace in the pack for the championship?
Jack’s impact in this league has been minimal but I felt he was the Cork player closest to winning an All-Star last year. Has he gone back that much?
Liam Cahill will be thrilled with how everything worked out. There was naturally a huge outpouring of emotion and elation from the Waterford supporters but there was certainly no getting carried away from Cahill or the players. There were no kissing badges. That measured response was obvious in Prunty’s victory speech.
The stamp of the Waterford management is all over this side. As well as the edge and tactical smarts brought by Cahill and Mikey Bevans, Stephen Frampton and Tony Browne were very measured and astute players too.
I had questioned here on Saturday whether Waterford had delivered that statement win yet in this campaign, because Wexford were so poor in the semi-final, but this was as loud a statement as Waterford could have made.
You could see how wired Waterford were in the warm-up, but the manner of this win will have given them even more confidence and belief now heading into the championship.
Darragh Lyons had another good game which will probably mean that Jamie Barron may not start against Tipperary in 13 days, even if he is fit.
Where would you buy this stuff if you were Liam Cahill? He has Austin Gleeson now in the palm of his hand. He doesn’t need to say anything, but if he wanted to, Cahill can tell Gleeson that he only needs him if he does everything on the manager’s terms.
Limerick are still the favourites for the All-Ireland, but Waterford have joined them now as the leading contenders. Limerick may not be as flamboyant or devastating with their running game down the middle, but who’s to say that Kyle Hayes won’t be at centre-forward against Cork in two weeks after what John Kiely and Paul Kinnerk saw Saturday night?
Cork will try and take the positives out of Saturday’s performance, but Kieran Kingston and his management know that the questions will only be getting harder from now on.
Is Seamus Harnedy cut out for the pace of this game now, especially ahead of Jack O’Connor? On the other hand, you probably need a Harnedy for a team like Limerick.
Is Millerick fully fit? Does he know his role? Are Cork better off now to just shove him back in at full-back. Or do you leave Damien Cahalane at number 3 so he can physically compete with Aaron Gillane? Is Daire O’Leary too inexperienced to chance him on Gillane?
Cork can’t tear up the script at this stage of the year, especially when they have so heavily invested in the project up to now. They met a serious machine on Saturday. They’ll meet another one in Cork in 13 days, but Limerick don’t play that same hard running game that tore Cork to bits on Saturday.
Waterford also proved that they can play it any way, and with any style, they want. Dessie Hutchinson was only on the ball a handful of times but Waterford know now that they can profit without Dessie having to shoot the lights out. Aussie could literally appear anywhere now against Tipp, if Cahill decides to play him, which I’ve no doubt he will.
Waterford will be delighted with the build-up to that championship game because they’re in such a good place. Cork aren’t in that place, but they won’t get too carried away at this stage.
Gary Keegan will ensure they don’t. But Gary will certainly earn his crust now.