Fermanagh tear ragged, rudderless Cork to shreds
The headlines might scream of a Cork crisis - and selector Colman Corrigan’s damning assessment afterwards that “Cork are years behind the top teams,” won’t be easily digested - but Saturday belonged to Fermanagh, the smallest pick of all GAA counties, with more water than playable land, and now conquerors of Cork.
Cork were truly awful in Croke Park, a rudderless, patch-work team but Fermanagh were good. Very good. The last time they came to Croke Park, they were given a lesson by Tyrone. A lesson they took on board.
“I think we learnt a lot from that game,” said Stephen Maguire. “But more than that, a lot of young lads have come into the team, who have absolutely no fear.”
Maguire was superb at full-forward, nailing six points, and showing the country what Fermanagh folk had known for a long time - that he is among the most accomplished target-men in the country. It was another Maguire, Eamon, that really flourished under the bright lights. Aided by Mark Little, Eamon Maguire unnerved the Cork defence with every little flick of his skilful feet. The wing-forwards are no bigger than minors, but on Saturday, they came of age.
Without a manager till January, only seven of last year’s panel started Saturday’s game. Their two biggest names, Raymie Gallagher and Paul Brewster, called it a day. The league offered scant hope. No wonder there was a lazy assumption Cork would struggle past Fermanagh.
“We wanted to put a bit of pride back into Fermanagh football after last year against Tyrone,” said captain Shane McDermott.
“We are always getting slated. Even last year, we had a fairly decent year. We got to the All-Ireland quarter-final and still we got slammed. We wanted to come up here and show what Fermanagh football was about.”
And that is what they did. It was felt Barry Owens couldn’t contain Colin Corkery. Owens proved to any doubters that he is among the best full-backs in the country with one of the most effective marking jobs people have seen on Corkery. The first 15 minutes aside, Fermanagh dominated this match. Little and Maguire were tormenting their markers, yet the sides went in at the break level, 0-6 apiece.
Colm Bradley’s hesitancy when faced with goal before the break ensured Cork stayed in touch. Anthony Lynch, the spiritual embodiment of Cork football had been called from the bench, and surely the team couldn’t play that poorly for 35 more minutes.
Brendan Jer O’Sullivan emerged for the second half, and those callow predictions seemed to look correct. O’Sullivan and Corkery combined for scores that saw Cork 0-10 to 0-7 ahead after 45 minutes. Fermanagh were gallant and brave, but their players were reading off the same tattered script. Or not. Tom Brewster arrived before the break and changed the game in the second half, with one of the finest displays of accurate passing by a half-forward this summer. Every pass found its target, and with Brewster at the hub, Fermanagh kicked nine of the next 10 scores.
The pick was scored by Brewster, as he fed Eamon Maguire on the inside-forward line, only for Maguire to back-pass to Brewster, who launched an audacious score from 50 yards. Mulgrew, a man who took a job nobody wanted, has preached the team ethic from day one. And he wasn’t in the business of pinpointing individuals after the game. “We came into this together as a team and that is how we would have left, even if we lost. There is no rocket science to this. It is just about a bunch of honest, young lads who love their county and want to play for Fermanagh. That’s all it is.”
Mulgrew wasn’t happy with some aspects. With five minutes left, and Cork drained and looking for the first train to Kent Station, Fermanagh started to have some fun, stringing a number of passes together. Against a more focused side, it could have cost them the game.
“That is something we will have to look at,” said Mulgrew.
“One statistic,” Coman Corrigan said afterwards. “One All-Ireland in 14 years. I think that speaks for itself. We were just blown away out there, Fermanagh destroyed us.”
Billy Morgan echoed his selector’s sentiments. “They were, by far, the better team. We can offer no excuses. I think it is going to take some time to get this right.”
: Fermanagh: S Maguire (0-6, 4 frees), J Sherry (0-4), M Little, M McGrath (0-2 each), T. Brewster, C Bradley (0-1 each). Cork: C. Corkery (0-5, 3 frees), C McCarthy, B J O’Sullivan (0-2 each), N. Murphy, G Canty, A Lynch (0-1 each).
: N Tinney; N Brogue, B Owens, R McCluskey, R Johnston, S McDermott, D O’Reilly; M McGrath, L McBarron; M Little, J Sherry, E Maguire, C O’Reilly, S Maguire, C Bradley.
: T Brewster for O’Reilly (30 mins), P Sherry for McBarron (44), D Kelly for D O’Reilly (63)
: K O’Dwyer; S O’Brien, D Kavanagh, G Murphy, E Sexton, S Levis, M Croinin; M O’Sullivan, G Canty; N Murphy, C O’Sullivan, C McCarthy, C Crowley, C Corkery, A Cronin.
: A Lynch for O’Brien (27 mins), B J O’Sullivan for Levis (h-t), K O’Connor for Sexton, F Murray for C O’Sullivan (both 58 mins), M O Croinin for Crowley (64 mins)
M. Deegan (Laois).
