A welcome shift away from kneejerk reaction to bad results

Are times changing? There is a feeling in the air that changes are afoot. The groundswell of admonishment that normally follows vanquished teams after a weekend of championship action was somewhat more diluted last weekend than is usually the case.

Are we finally beginning to see a shift towards process-oriented analysis with some recognition that what we see on the field of play is not always reflective of what is important for a county’s development and progression? A perfect example of this was seen in Monday’s edition of this paper, where Conor McCarthy detailed the steps that lie ahead for Cork football.