Keepers of the faith

WITH so much attention being focussed on Cork’s puck-out problems all year, Michael Moynihan ran the rule over both goalkeeper’s performances yesterday.

It’s at this point we use the line about lies, damned lies, etc etc.

It doesn’t do to scrutinise these figures too closely, because Cork’s apparent inability to control their puck-outs in the second half - strictly by the stats - doesn’t reflect the sharpness of their players to ball breaking in Galway’s red zone.

Unfortunately for the Tribesmen, the facts don’t lie about the implosion of their puck-outs as the game slipped away from them late on.

Neither side’s puck-out strategies were an unqualified success in the first half of yesterday’s game. Cork’s game was generally more direct in open play, and that was reflected in Donal Óg Cusack’s deliveries also.

With Galway clogging the middle of the field to cut the sight-lines, the Cloyne ‘keeper went long to Timmy and Niall McCarthy with eight of his 12 puck-outs.

Cusack’s options were also limited by Derek Hardiman’s strength in the air, the Mullagh man going on to have a find game.

Liam Donoghue belied his nerves in Christy O’Connor’s book on hurling goalkeepers by opting for the short option at least once, to Hardiman, and Galway managed a Farragher point from the wing-back’s delivery.

But generally Donoghue looked for Murray and Kerins to some effect. They broke ball that Galway could scrap for and it took Gardiner over half an hour to replicate his catching of the Munster final.

The second half brought more clarity, particularly from Cork. Aided by a slight breeze, Cusack started to go long, generally finding the exclusion zone on the 21 with his deliveries.

His first of the second half was fielded cleanly by Niall McCarthy, and though Cork didn’t win clean ball in that area again, Tom Kenny and Jerry O’Connor were pushing on for the breaks generated by Brian Corcoran, Niall McCarthy and Timmy McCarthy challenging strongly.

Kenny’s 51st-minute point was a classic case, the midfielder reading the break perfectly to slot over from 30 yards. As a counterpoint to Cork’s usual deliberate game, which involves close passing to support players, it was a telling ‘cheap’ score which didn’t expend a lot of energy. Ben O’Connor repeated the dose in the 66th minute.

With the momentum going Cork’s way it would be unreasonable to blame Liam Donoghue for the low return from Galway puck-outs in the second half.

Five minutes after the break Donoghue found Hardiman again with a short puck-out, but Cork’s vigilance then cut that option while the game remained competitive.

The Galway ‘keeper was forced to drop several puck-outs right on a dominant Cork half-back line with predictable results: between the 46th and 66th minute Galway’s eight puck-outs were won by Cork, the eighth a spectacular John Gardiner catch.

A minute later another Donoghue clearance found Kerins on the sideline, but he was forced out of play.

Until the disintegration of the game in injury time Galway could only count five outright wins from 15 second-half puck-outs.

Cork had 11 puck-outs and won only one clean ball - Niall McCarthy’s 35th-minute catch - but they were sharper to the breaking ball, winning possession seven times.