Patrick Kelly: Defeat won't define Cork's season...but a win could make it
MORE OF THE SAME: Kerry's Gavin White and Ian Maguire of Cork battle for possession during last year's Munster GAA Senior Football Championship Semi-Final at Fitzgerald Stadium, Killarney. Pic: INPHO/Bryan Keane
Cork versus Kerry always matters. It’s bred into us. But it’s starting to feel less significant. Or at least lower down on the priority list as teams focus on other competitions and other stages of the year. The root cause is of course the championship structure. The seasons begins with the competitiveness of the league and concludes with the cut-throat nature of the group stages (relatively) and knockout stages. These highs sandwich what feels like a two-month lull in proceedings where nothing of any major significance occurs; bar the local rivalries and few remaining Sam Maguire spots. Until the GAA grasp the nettle and push the provincial championship forward to before the league we are stuck with what feels like an unequal and unfair All Ireland series where the life is sucked out of it when it should be ramping up.
Sticking to the present and the Cork footballers will hope home advantage can count for something as they host their fancied opponents tonight. The most recent evidence of how Kerry have adapted to the new rules was on show in their league final win over Mayo. I, like many others, felt the new rules would suit the natural playing style of Kerry more than any other county. In recent years they, like pretty much every county, opted to withdraw every outfield player into their own 65 when out of possession. This had a major impact on their ability to quickly transition from defence with their famed heads up football and kick passing. The return to this style was evident several times early on against Mayo; one example being a Barry Dan O’Sullivan turnover which led to Paudie Clifford carrying before delivering long for Paul Geaney to score from play.
