Outgunned Rebels need heavy artillery
However, in the long winter months ahead the management team will realise that period of parity was where the game was lost.
They were spot on with their defensive match ups as Brian Murphy and Stephen McDonnell did well on Joe Canning and Damien Hayes, Galway’s main dangermen. Cork were moving the ball from defence and midfield with short accurate passes and five of Cork’s attack had scored.
But there were a series of disappointments.
Cork jumped into an early lead and Galway were struggling to score from play with Niall Burke hitting three wides.
In that opening quarter Eoin Cadogan was pulled up for a handpass offence and Patrick Cronin, who put in a huge shift all through, gave away two frees of the harmless variety and all three were punished by Canning.
When you’re the underdog you need to be highly disciplined and take all of your opportunities. Cork had six wides in the opening half including one from the normally accurate Conor Lehane and two poor shot selections from Luke O’Farrell, whose first touch was a little off his own high standard.
They needed all things to go right for them and couldn’t afford any mistakes. Although Galway also squandered good opportunities they had more scoring potential and could suffer their losses more easily as they had a better chance of making them up.
There was lots of open play because of the tactics employed but right through the first half and to the end Galway’s defence won most of the physical 50-50 tussles on the ground. It’s one area Cork will have to work on over the coming months.
Galway knew they were in trouble at the break and stayed in the dressing room longer than Cork, no doubt explaining the game plan.
They set up their defensive system of eight with their midfield lying behind their half backs, and their three half forwards occupying the midfield.
By playing three men up front, at times only Joe Canning or Damien Hayes operated inside the Cork 45m line, Cork’s defence picked up a lot of ball but with little movement by their half forwards they resorted to long hopeful deliveries.
This wasn’t the best of tactics as Cork aren’t the tallest attack. The advantage of the physically stronger, highly-combative and impressive Galway defence turned four of the Cork long ball deliveries into scores as Hayes, Burke and Canning revelled in the space and good supply from defenders bursting out with the ball.
It helped them open up a four-point gap by the 17th minute of the second half.
Cork had scraped out a win against Waterford down the stretch by clever use of the ball and intelligent movement. But Galway had obviously watched that game intently and their thick defensive cover combined with the positioning of Cork’s half forwards ensured they would close the game out.
The Cork half-forward line needed to drop off their markers, quickly moving back to take 30m accurate passes from the half backs and combine with midfielders or defenders to shoot from long range.
If one or two points go over a defence is drawn out and a little more space is provided. Cathal Naughton came on at half time but didn’t see the ball until the 57th minute when he was put through for a point by an over the top pass from Horgan.
Cork failed to score for the final ten minutes and when Galway led by three points, 0-20 to 0-17, Cork missed two chances to bring the gap to the minimum.
Cronin did well to catch two high deliveries at the edge of the square and scored a point from one but he needed a quick off-loading outlet. An angled run from a supporting forward was required but it never came.
The eventual offload to Stephen McDonnell was snuffed out by the excellent Fergal Moore, who showed outstanding defensive and leadership qualities from the start.
In the second period Galway did some of their best work when Canning played at left corner-forward and Hayes was highly influential coming through the middle. This was essentially the difference between the two teams.
Galway had players up front of the highest calibre with size, pace and intelligence whereas Cork’s half-forward line lacked physical presence. Cork’s substitutions made no real impact and Galway didn’t need any.
Cork needed Patrick Cronin at the edge of the square and in the half-forward line following in. When it didn’t happen and the better equipped Tribesmen found scores easier through the incomparable Canning and the busy Hayes, there was only going to be one winner.
