Silver lining for resilient Rebels

THE summer will certainly bring more severe tests, but Cork can reflect with satisfaction on their spring affairs after strolling through yesterday’s Allianz NFL Division 1 final in Croke Park.

Just like 12 months ago, Conor Counihan’s side will enter the championship with a league title in the trophy cabinet but this triumph was more resounding than their Division Two success last April.

The yawning chasm that existed between the sides meant this was a poor spectacle and by the interval there was no doubting that the silverware was heading south. Conor Mortimer popped over a pair of points early in the second half to cut the deficit Mayo faced to two points, 0-9 to 0-7, but notions that a competitive match was about to erupt were quickly shredded as Cork upped gears.

Having bossed a national final in Croke Park, the mantle of championship favourites will now be automatically bestowed upon Cork by certain quarters. But the impoverished nature of their opponents’ display and the fact Cork were never forced to engage at high-throttle must be noted. Cork would have preferred a more searching examination before their six-week hiatus ahead of their championship opener on June 6 yet there were still enough positive characteristics to this display to please them.

As expected, Cork’s defensive alignment was altered from their team sheet with Jamie O’Sullivan instructed to mind the house at the edge of the square and Michael Shields released to the prairies of space in the half-back line. Both acquitted themselves excellently with O’Sullivan holding Aidan O’Shea scoreless and apart from a brief spell of panic in the first half, exuded a calm demeanour. Shields revelled in the number 6 role, illustrating that Cork are better served by having his ball-playing skills in operation in that line of the pitch and the manner in which he blunted Mayo’s attacking blade Alan Dillon was also significant.

With that spine in place, Cork were well-placed to control the first half. It took them a while for the scoreboard to reflect that as the teams were tied at 0-1 apiece after 11 minutes but Cork cranked up the intensity thereafter and left Mayo struggling in the areas that had underpinned their progress to this league final. Tom Parsons and Seamus O’Shea were obliterated at midfield by the commanding play of Aidan Walsh and Alan O’Connor; centre-back Trevor Howley endured a torrid time on Donncha O’Connor and Mayo’s defence was stretched by Cork’s fluid passing movements.

By the 20th minute Cork had surged 0-6 to 0-1 in front with O’Connor the chief architect of that scoring spree. But it was the difference in the offensive play of the two teams that demonstrated what route this game was heading. Mayo’s shooting was erratic and their attacking movement was too compressed early on, and the three goal-chances that were spurned by Aidan O’Shea (2) and Mark Ronaldson between the 17th and 19th minutes sounded the death knell for the westerners.

Faltering visibly in other sectors, Mayo required a goal but instead were forced to rely on the typically resilient play of Donal Vaughan and Kevin McLoughlin to ensure they were only 0-9 to 0-5 adrift at the interval.

Cork’s play up front had been far from top drawer in the opening half but in the second half they opened their shoulders and weaved pretty patterns to generate a deluge of scores. Walsh had a fine game in driving them on from midfield, fellow U21 star Ciarán Sheehan grew in confidence as the game progressed and Daniel Goulding’s shooting radar was perfectly attuned as he bumped his personal tally up to 1-5 over the course of the second half.

The goal was expertly taken in the 63rd minute after Eoin Cotter and Sheehan combined to pick him out and left Cork comfortably ahead, 1-17 to 0-9.

If the second half had been a carefree period for Cork, Mayo’s plight worsened. It took until the 65th minute for a forward other than Conor Mortimer to score from play, their full-forward line were whipped off before the finish and an inability to source primary possession at midfield caused their defence to be frequently placed under siege. Mayo’s play was in sharp contrast to the attacking riches exhibited by Sligo in Saturday’s Division 3 decider and in the space of a weekend that championship trip to Markievicz Park on June 5 looks to be littered with landmines for John O’Mahony’s charges.

Cork face the different challenge of trying to curb rising expectations after this emphatic success but their play had its glitches too and ultimately Mayo’s inadequacies stamp an asterisk next to this victory.

Scorers for Cork: D Goulding 1-5 (0-1f), D O’Connor 0-5 (0-2f), C Sheehan 0-2, A Walsh, A O’Connor, P Kelly, P Kerrigan, N O’Leary 0-1 each.

Scorers for Mayo: C Mortimer 0-6 (0-2f), A Dillon 0-3 (0-3f), S O’Shea 0-2, A Moran 0-1.

Subs for Cork: N Murphy for Goold (59), D Kavanagh for Walsh (65), C O’Neill for D O’Connor (65), J Hayes for Goulding (70), G Spillane for Shields (70).

Subs for Mayo: R McGarrity for Ronaldson (half-time), A Kilcoyne for T Mortimer (51), A Freeman for Parsons (63), B Moran for C Mortimer (68), P Harte for A O’Shea (68).

Referee: Padraig Hughes (Armagh).