Qualifier route won’t suit Cork

THE YEAR 1997 was the year I played my final inter-county game for Cork. It all ended rather ingloriously, on the bench in Ennis the day Martin Daly scuffed a dramatic last minute goal for Clare past Kevin O’Dwyer in a Munster Championship semi-final.

I saw it coming, honest to God. I was sitting beside Dr Con Murphy, praying for someone in a Cork jersey to lamp a Clare player, create a scene. I was gambling the referee would panic in the pandemonium and bring the game to a premature conclusion. Too late.

Two things remain raw and vivid from that awful afternoon. One, that Cork are never more than an average performance away from an upset in an environment beyond their comfort zone. The second is that Kerry won an All-Ireland that season beating Clare in the Munster final, Cavan in the All-Ireland semi and Mayo in the final.

The point is this: of course it matters whether you go through the direct route or the qualifiers to Croke Park. Cork are not good at scenic routes and besides, an All-Ireland is an All-Ireland, irrespective or who you play. We tickle Kerry about soft All-Irelands in 1997 and 2004 as if Cork would turn our noses up at them. We’d bite the hand off.

I’ve seen enough of Antrim and Derry and Donegal (not to mention Armagh or Monaghan) to recognise that an away trip for a Qualifier is something Conor Counihan’s side does not need at the moment. There is a school of thought that an unglamorous campaign of biff and bang on the back roads is precisely what Cork need to toughen them up mentally. Yeah? Let them win an All-Ireland now and then head out on safari – if that’s your thing.

People tend to forget that if we go back to the 2006 campaign, nine of tomorrow’s Cork team were U21 in that season. There are three of last year’s U21s starting for the first time in a senior championship game, and Killarney against Kerry is some bow.

In fact, it’s some buzz for any Cork footballer. If you want to replicate the sights and sounds that will greet you on the qualifier route, Fitzgerald Stadium on a Summer Sunday is no bad place to start. Jack O’Connor may have decided against starting Paul Galvin, but that shouldn’t dilute Kerry’s appetite for this one.

They need an uncomplicated route to September. Given Cork’s selection, Kerry must be anticipating a tide of red running at them from all angles. For all of O’Connor’s wiliness, he doesn’t have that many options when it comes to replacing old legs. Midfield is a case in point – for all of Micheal Quirke’s fielding ability, I would have thought Anthony Maher would have broken through at this stage. Going back to the 2009 League final against Derry, the Duagh midfielder looked ready to step into Darragh O Sé’s rather large shoes. It hasn’t happened and I don’t expect Quirke to be getting much raw material from his namesake (Cork keeper Alan) in terms of primary possession tomorrow.

One word on Galvin, Cork’s favourite Kerryman. He’s not only a huge loss to Kerry in football terms tomorrow, he is a big loss to the occasion. Galvin brings that Eric Cantona whiff of sulphur to these occasions and if they admitted it, the Cork followers have a begrudging admiration for him. In terms of Kieran Donaghy’s influence, Galvin’s diagonal deliveries will be greatly missed. While he mightn’t have Darran O’Sullivan’s pace, there are enough of Galvin plusses to make his absence a mortal one for the All-Ireland champions.

When you examine the respective merits of both sides, the full forward lines are key – but only as influential as the midfield whip-hand allows them be. It’s a good foundation on which to base favouritism for Cork. I am a huge admirer of Aidan Walsh and feel he will not let Cork down tomorrow. With Alan O’Connor and Seamus Scanlon battling each other to a standstill, there is a strong case to think that, at the least, Cork won’t lose this sector. That means a limited supply to Colm Cooper and Donaghy. Cork will endeavour to use the lungs and power of Paudie Kissane and Pearse O’Neill to drive deep into a Kerry defence that looked somewhat iffy in Thurles – especially the full back line.

Tomorrow is not really about winning a Munster final next month – it’s more about avoiding a wet Saturday night in Casement Park, with 100 fans and a few quare decisions from a one-eyed referee. Cork don’t do those well. Which is why they will win tomorrow in Killarney.