Thoughts of Kerry and the smaller details
The big picture is easily drawn — Cork won as they pleased at Páirc Uí Chaoimh yesterday, Clare offering even less than I thought they would. Qualifier cannon fodder.
So you rummage through the programme and look around at the size of the crowd. You engage in chat with the transistor-wielding neighbours who report the news that Tomás Ó Sé has been sent off for Kerry in Killarney.
And while you are digesting the significance of that, someone adds that there’s nearly 10,000 at Fitzgerald Stadium.
Here, there’s less than half that for the opening bow of the All-Ireland champions.
Old Cork habits I suppose.
For all the talk of Cork’s perceived strength in depth, there’s a distinct lack of attacking alternatives if some of Conor Counihan’s key forwards were to succumb to injury.
Presuming that Paul Kerrigan will ordinarily start, the bench options in attack for the champions yesterday would have been the Goold brothers, Mark Collins and Fiachra Lynch. Frightening it ain’t.
Colm O’Neill’s loss is considerable.
The irony isn’t lost that Kerry have the opposite problem — plenty of forward, threadbare on defensive cover.
Supporters were asked for €20 for the covered stand yesterday, a reasonable levy considered the €27 they were charging in Ballybofey a week ago.
And yet there wasn’t much over 4,000 present.
It’s a small gripe but we are still talking about the All-Ireland champions and their first day out since September.
They deserve better, surely?
They were one or two other changes from last autumn. Perhaps it was a reflection on the Clare defence or not, but Cork tended to be far more direct with their attacks yesterday.
Signs on too — the full forward line claimed 1-16 between them, 1-10 of it from play.
The five pointed frees from Daniel Goulding were significant for another reason — his free-taking conversion seems to have moved to another level in 2011 and like any good free-taker, each miss is a sin in itself.
Conor Counihan is aware that Cork are likely to come into a Munster final in Killarney off the soft side of the draw, but he’s keener to give as many established figures game time than he is to blood some fresh talent like Mark Collins.
Apart from Fiachra Lynch, the other subs introduced yesterday were Paul Kerrigan, John Miskella, Nicholas Murphy and Paudie Kissane.
Denis O’Sullivan did well on his Championship debut, but David Goold was less involved.
Cork’s midfield pulverised Clare for whom centre back Gordon Kelly was the standout battler — corner back Kevin Hartnett also impressed.
Little doubt that corner forward Rory Donnelly was the pick of the visiting attack, but Cork were in the showers and thinking ahead well before the last whistle in this one.
If Ó Sé gets an eight week suspension he will be a huge loss to Kerry come July.
His plight dominated quite a few after-match conversations in Cork, as did Kerry’s ongoing disciplinary issues, which seem to be stray back to last season.
Eventually that stuff catches up on you. I should know.
