Red Hands remain the team to beat
The laptops are packed away, the interviews are done, and there’s a chance to talk and gain further perspective on what exactly took place a few hours earlier.
Sunday past was a typical example. I was driving. Brendan Crossan, who was in unfeasibly good humour due to the fact that he put a fiver on Paul Kerrigan at 14/1 to score the first goal, volunteered to sit in the back. Kenny Archer (who backed Colm Cooper to score the first goal for Kerry) was in the passenger seat.
Rather strangely, much of the conversation centred on Cork.
Following their emphatic dismantling of Donegal, we all agreed that they looked scarily impressive.
And with the memory of their imperious display fresh in our minds, we all confessed that we fancied them to beat Tyrone.
However – and here’s the crunch – all three of us also realised that we would probably change our minds when given more time to consider the true merit of each side.
Less than 24 hours later and my weighing scales have already started to tip in the direction of Tyrone.
The reason is this: In order to accurately assess Cork, the first thing you must do is to entirely dismiss their performance against Donegal. That’s right. Completely erase it from your mind. Wipe it out.
This must be done because what happened in Croke Park on Sunday between 2pm and 3.30pm doesn’t matter.
It counts for nothing because it wasn’t a proper game. There was no tension, therefore players weren’t tested under proper match conditions.
Pressure changes everything.
Think of professional snooker. Consider how even the best players can miss the most routine shots whenever the beads of sweat trickle down their temple.
Now think of the same players whenever they have compiled a large break that has put a frame beyond reach. They pot freely. They languidly ghost around the table, making shots with ease.
This is precisely what we witnessed between Cork and Donegal. The game was over after 10 minutes. Once the pressure was off, the Rebels were able to relax and put on a show.
Kerrigan is an excellent example. During the few minutes of the game when the outcome wasn’t known, the talented wing-forward gained possession 50 yards from goal. He was immediately caught in three minds as to whether he should shoot, pass, or carry. After some dithering, he opted for the first option. It was the wrong one.
It was the decision of an inexperienced young player. But Kerrigan’s uncertainty vanished once Cork gained some breathing space and he bagged 1-4. Suddenly, he was dancing around the green baize.
The suspicion remains that Cork’s forward line isn’t that good.
Kildare also looked dangerous when chalking up huge tallies against Offaly, Laois, and Wexford. At least seven players got on the scoresheet in each contest.
We were told that the Lilywhites were no longer dependent on John Doyle and his free-kicks. We were told Kildare had a team that could produce scores from every sector of the field.
The second half of Sunday’s game told us a different story. When Tyrone tightened the vice, the Kildare men, who were kicking points against lowly Laois and awful Offaly, disappeared.
The stats are damning. Kildare registered just four points in the second half, and all but one of them came from the boot of John Doyle.
When Tyrone applied the full pressure, Kildare were seen in their true colours: a vastly-improved team with only two truly outstanding footballers – Dermot Earley and Doyle.
Cork will get the same treatment as Kildare, only it will be more intense and more sustained.
The plotting will already have begun. Tyrone have already proved to be incredibly adaptable to the challenges presented by different opponents. Team formations and systems of play have changed from game to game.
For the Ulster final against Antrim, Tyrone anticipated that the Saffrons would deploy a sweeper so they played a running game. They attacked in straight lines and rarely punted any kick passes into their full-forward duo of Stephen O’Neill and Tommy McGuigan.
Yet Tyrone completed changed their entire gameplan for Sunday’s quarter-final. Realising that Kieran McGeeney had abandoned his designs on turning the Lilywhites into a defence-orientated side, Harte set out to expose the Kildare full-back line.
The running game was jettisoned in favour of long kick-passes to O’Neill, Owen Mulligan, and Martin Penrose, and the trio tagged nine points from play.
Right now, Harte will be pondering over which system of attack will generate the most scores. Given the strength of Cork full-backs Michael Shields and Anthony Lynch, he’ll probably revert to the running game.
And if Philip Jordan, Ryan McMenamin and Davy Harte are launching counter-attacks, it will keep the likes of Kerrigan and Pierce O’Neill at the other end of the pitch. Plans will also be put in place to thwart John Miskella and Graham Canty.
Unlike their last outing, Cork will be placed under the oppressive heat of Tyrone’s instant and intensive tackling. Then we’ll see what Cork are really made of.
Those of us with longer memories can recall the Rebels demolishing Mayo 5-15 to 0-10 in the 1993 All-Ireland semi-final. That’s the same type of margin that Cork and Kerry achieved in their recent victories over Donegal and Dublin. Yet, Cork lost that ‘93 final.
There’s a lesson in there for those who are already getting carried away by what they witnessed on Sunday and yesterday. It’s easy to look good in exhibition games.
The true measure of a team is how they perform during the last 10 minutes of a tight game in front of 82,000 fans. We know how Tyrone react in such circumstances. That’s why they still remain the safest bet for Sam.
* This column first appeared in The Irish News
