Cork crank up conveyor belt

GEORGE BERNARD SHAW once wrote: “People are always blaming circumstances for being what they are.

The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want and if they can’t find them, make them.”

If any player on the pitch in Portlaoise yesterday created the circumstances for a Cork victory it was the Tadhg MacCárthaigh club man and undisputed man-of-the-match, Colm O’Driscoll. From his thundering shoulder to break up a Down attack in the 12th minute to the endless hoovering of breaking balls from the first to the 61st minute right on through to his Roy of the Rovers goal that broke Down hearts at the death, the dynamic O’Driscoll was an irresistible force of nature. He was the last man tracking back for Down captain Timmy Hanna’s goal with just six minutes left on the clock and less than a minute before his own match-winning goal, O’Driscoll was a fingertip away from getting on the end of another desperate Cork attempt to break through the Down back-line.

Cork certainly didn’t go about winning a record 11th U21 title the easy way but if any player deserved an All-Ireland medal yesterday it was O’Driscoll. The countless 180 mile round trips from Caheragh for training in Mallow by the O’Driscoll brothers will seem all worthwhile this morning.

The tactic of breaking ball hard and long in the first half paid rich dividends for the Cork half forward line of Ciarán Sheehan, Mark Collins and O’Driscoll.

They gambled on removing themselves form the immediate vicinity of the midfield area and when the breaks fell favourably for them, they were in a position to set up David Goold and Colm O’Neill for some good scores inside.

The four free kicks scored by each side in the opening half were a good example of the contrast in free-taking methods in the modern game. Goold and O’Neill were all grace and technique in their chosen method off the ground while Down’s two marksmen, Paul Devlin and Paul McComiskey kicked off the hands and stole at least five or six yards into the breeze each time. On the one instance Down had to take a free off the ground (Conor Poland’s “50” in the second half) they missed the target by a few yards. On another day the referee’s negligence in this regard would’ve proven costly for Cork and it has been a pet hate of mine for a number of years now.

THERE have been claims that the standard of football in the U21 grade wasn’t as high in 2009 as in previous years but it would be churlish to go along with that train of thought after yesterday’s fine match.

Granted, over the years there probably have been more star-studded U21 teams coming out of the Rebel county but for sheer heart and commitment, it would be very hard to beat this present crop. After digging out results against Tipperary in Munster and against Dublin in the semi-final two weeks ago Cork’s battling qualities were very much in evidence in the immediate aftermath of Down’s two second half goals. While it couldn’t be argued that the goals were against the run of play, Eamon Toner’s goal halfway through the second half and Timmy Hanna’s nine minutes later would’ve ripped the guts out of a lesser team. Yet each time it was captain Colm O’Neill who led by example – responding with points of his own within a minute of each of the two sucker punches. For his leadership alone, O’Neill deserves great credit and it must also be remembered that he had very little if any training done due to injury since their semi-final win.

John Cleary and his crew will savour this win as it was won the hard way. Now that they’ve had a campaign without interruption or interference from the senior set-up, thoughts will inevitably turn toward the players that could potentially be groomed for the step-up. Another day’s work perhaps but the conveyor belt has just cranked up considerably!