Allen within one victory of creating his own legacy

WAS Sunday the day that John Allen emerged from the shadow of Donal O’Grady, last year’s All-Ireland-winning Cork senior hurling manager?

A question I heard yesterday after Cork’s semi-final win over Clare in Croke Park, which led immediately into another - did O’Grady cast a shadow over Allen at all?

Let’s deal with the latter first. Unquestionably, the answer is yes. Three years ago, O’Grady took over a staggering side which had just put huge additional pressure on itself with the players’ strike.

He spent his first year growing into the job, made his mistakes, but still took a Munster title, reached the All-Ireland final, could have won it.

Last year, as the year went on, O’Grady was coming closer to the perfect Cork starting 15, the perfect game-plan, peaked his team at the right time, stormed through the All-Ireland quarter-final, semi-final and then the final. It wasn’t a vintage season for Cork (no Munster title) but it was one of vindication for O’Grady, the players and the new system.

And then, just when he had the whole set-up in the palm of his hand, O’Grady left.

All through those successes, John Allen was on the sideline. Allen wasn’t just another selector, however; former team-mates with the Barrs, and Cork, O’Grady and Allen were the defensive spine on one of the finest club sides of their time. There was a mutual respect there, built up over the years. When O’Grady decided he’d had enough, Allen was the natural successor, especially so after Sean O’Leary signalled that he had no interest.

He jumped at the chance, seeing it as more honour than onerous. It was a courageous decision; Allen wasn’t just getting his ex-colleague’s job, he was inheriting his team, his tactics. Make no mistake, when Cork started this year’s League campaign, it was still O’Grady’s team.

One game from season’s end, has it finally become Allen’s? Has he put his mark on it? Let’s look at the evidence.

Has the game-plan changed this year? No. Cork are still playing a possession game, high-risk at times, especially when it’s overdone in defence. Is this a poor reflection on Allen? On the contrary; it’s the mark of a man less concerned with leaving his mark than with continuing a winning system.

If it ain’t broke, as my streetwise Yankee friends always said, don’t fix it. Mind you, the system needs tweaking, on the number of times Cork are being caught in defence especially, and here, Allen has yet to order any obvious changes.

Has the starting line-up altered? Not significantly. Let’s take the defence first. Same keeper, Donal Óg Cusack still calling the shots, as impressively as ever. Outside him, one change in six. After an early-season injury, Wayne Sherlock, one of last year’s stars, is out in the cold. Nothing major here, however; Pat Mulcahy has come in, but Mulcahy himself was an injury victim last year, having starred in 2003; he has simply taken his chance.

No new face then, from 1 to 7. At midfield, the same, Jerry O’Connor and Tom Kenny; again, with good reason. This duet still makes the sweetest music in hurling, in the midfield, perfect harmony.

Up front, and again, no real change. Apart from against Waterford in the Munster semi-final, when Neil Ronan replaced the injured Timmy McCarthy, it’s been the same six as started in last year’s All-Ireland final. Ben O’Connor, Niall and Timmy McCarthy; Kieran Murphy of Sars, Brian Corcoran, Joe Deane. Allen’s team, or O’Grady’s?

No doubt, this is the area of greatest debate this season. There has been a clear loss of form by at least two of the above six, yet game after game, they have started. Without question, this is because of last season, an expression of hope, of faith; these guys have done it before, they will come good again.

And definitely, an opportunity lost by Allen to do his own thing; even an obligation, to change a struggling team, take pressure off players, give those in form a real shot. So, overall, the answer is no, John hasn’t yet stepped out from the shadows.

But, there are signs, considerable signs. In the last two games, albeit later than they should have done so, the Cork selectors have made some big calls. Taken off against Waterford, Timmy McCarthy, Niall McCarthy, Ronan Curran, three outstanding players, all hitting an off day. Taken off last Sunday, against Clare, Timmy McCarthy, Ronan Curran, Kieran Murphy of Sars, and, biggest of all, Brian Corcoran. None of the substitutions suggest that any of them are gone, won’t be capable of starting again the next day.

But it does suggest that unlike O’Grady, who was extremely reluctant to make any change, much less changes of that significance, Allen is his own man. To finally stand in the clear, however, he has to at least match O’Grady’s achievement; that means winning this All-Ireland, and not with an inherited team, a team built by his predecessor on last year’s form, but with his own team. He can do it, too.