Rebels’ improving form could make for a classic

OF all the recent championship clashes between Cork and Kerry footballers, their meeting tomorrow in the Bank of Ireland semi-final in Croke Park holds promise of being the most intriguing.

When they met at this stage three years ago, there was little doubt about Kerry winning, it was the same in Killarney last year and it was generally felt that Billy Morgan’s team hadn’t quite managed the necessary improvement to topple the champions in this year’s Munster final.

The big question being asked over the last week is whether or not Cork have advanced sufficiently in the meantime to bridge the gap and if Kerry have improved correspondingly. Either way, it would be accepted that the champions face a real threat of being dumped out of the competition.

From a situation where the image of football in the county had seriously slumped after the embarrassing failure to Kerry in that 2002 semi-final and poor form in the last two campaigns, Cork have regained respectability thanks to much greater consistency, helped by the introduction of some talented young players. Morgan can take a lot of credit for the impressive way he has turned things around this season, but at the end of the day it’s the players who have made it possible.

After the Galway game, when they made an impressive recovery after conceding two comparatively easy goals in the first half (to the multi-talented Micheal Meehan), he said it had been “as good a win” as any he had been associated with. The players responded magnificently to the challenge confronting them at half-time and Brendan Jer O’Sullivan inspired victory with a goal being talked as one of the best of the championship until Owen Mulligan produced his stunning score for Tyrone a week later.

En route, Cork overcame Sligo in Portlaoise with relative ease and this victory gave players and management the boost they needed to approach the next game with confidence.

Three years ago it was much the same with Kerry after they lost to Cork in the Munster semi-final replay (in the week that the father of the Ó Sé brothers died). They then made rapid progress in qualifiers with Wicklow, Fermanagh and Kildare before beating Galway in the quarter-final.

By then, they were back to near their best, whereas Cork’s form had remained static. Colin Corkery got frustrated when things didn’t go his way and got himself sent off, Fionán Murray and Tom O’Sullivan were also sidelined and Kerry strolled to a 15-point win.

Somehow, one could not imagine a similar outcome to tomorrow’s clash. Cork are looked on in some quarters as dark horses for the championship (a bit flattering) and clearly the reason they are given such a good chance of winning this game is because Kerry have not set the world on fire so far.

In the Munster final, their forwards didn’t make much of an impression and it was primarily the dominance of their full-back line which proved crucial - with Declan O’Sullivan’s early second half goal pointing them towards the finishing line. Against Mayo in the quarter-final, there was a certain improvement - O’Sullivan, for instance, was much more involved - but, with Colm Cooper’s early goal proving invaluable, the attack still performed below standard.

In that context, there are more questions being asked of Kerry because of the need for more consistency in key areas. On the other hand, Cork’s chances may be dented by the loss of Derek Kavanagh, especially since there is no recognised midfielder of quality there to replace him.

For all the potential that’s evident in the Cork side, especially taking account of the improvement in attack since the Munster final, it can be argued that they are still at the developing stage. And, for all the steadiness that Graham Canty provides at full-back, they still look vulnerable in the corners. In contrast, Kerry have a proven track record and all that has been lacking has been a bigger overall return.

They have won all their games, but not in a manner that inspired confidence in incremental stages last season.

Nevertheless, I still feel they will be too strong for Cork. There is the prospect of a great game if both teams play to form and my vote for Kerry is conditional on them lifting their standard.