Opportunity knocks for Rebels
The majority of the Cork set-up jetted off to South Africa last Wednesday for their team holiday and are not due to return until January 14th. Thirty one of the 34-man panel flew to South Africa with O’Connor, McMahon and defender Ger Spillane the only non-travellers. Spillane is unavailable for the provincial pre-season clash as he is in the US and is not scheduled to return until Sunday.
In the absence of several leading lights, Cork are set to field a largely experimental team with selector Terry O’Neill set to take the managerial reins for the game.
Cork’s starting fifteen is likely to be backboned by players from the county’s recent U21 teams including members of the All-Ireland winning outfits in 2007 and 2009. Defenders John McLoughlin, Ian Jones and Denis O’Sullivan, midfielder Eoin Keane and attackers Carthach Keane, Colm O’Driscoll, Jason Sexton and David Gould are all in line for inclusion.
The management have also rewarded impressive form at club level with newcomers like goalkeeper David Lordan (Ballincollig), Clonakilty duo Denis Murphy and Sean Nagle, and Daniel O’Donovan (Kilmacabea) all drafted in for the match. UCC and Cork IT’s involvement in the McGrath Cup, and the Cork U21 footballers preparations for the Munster championship in March have ruled some players out of the equation.
Cork’s preparations have been hampered by the recent adverse weather conditions but they did play a challenge match against Cork IT last Wednesday and are set to train tonight and Thursday in Clonakilty. Two years ago Cork opted to play an experimental side in the McGrath Cup and the policy paid off in the form of a title and the emergence of players like Alan O’Connor, Patrick Kelly and Fintan Goold to contend for championship places.
“Fielding new players helped us before and we’re looking forward to trying out new guys again”, says O’Neill. “We have a panel of 24 players for this game and they’re all eager for action, including Alan and Kevin who were there last year. We haven’t been able to do much preparation but every other team has been in the same boat with the weather.
“We did at least have a challenge game last week and we’ll get the lads together in Clonakilty this week for sessions where they can get to know each other and hopefully gel as a team. The focus is on Sunday’s match against WIT and if we win that, hopefully some of these lads will get further opportunities in the later rounds.”
Meanwhile Dublin’s Eoghan O’Gara has expressed his relief at seeing the end of the inter-county winter ban — even if it means he had to get up before six o’clock this morning to return to Dublin training. The big full-forward scored 3-2 in his debut championship season with the Blues last year and is understandably eager to pick up from where he left off in 2010.
A cracking goal and a point in Dublin’s win over the Dubs Stars in Castleknock on New Year’s Day kicked off 2011 for the Templeogue/Synge Street man and he is anxious to get going again after being confined to gym work pre-Christmas and a small exhibition game in Dubai which came at the end of their team holiday last month.
“It’s nice to get back going again and I’m glad to be back out on the pitch again,” said O’Gara. “You’re dying for a break and then when you get it, you start itching to get back in a week or two.”
To make Dublin’s 6.30am training sessions on the capital’s northside, O’Gara — who lives on the other side of the city — will have to leave before six. Then it’s back across the city to Tallaght IT where he is studying sports science. He isn’t exactly enamoured by the idea but knows it will aid him and his team-mates come championship time.
“Towards the end of the summer and that you start feeling better, you obviously don’t start feeling it straight away. You just have to get on with it. It will benefit, of course. There’s a few grumpy heads at that hour of the morning but we’ll all benefit in the long run.”
O’Gara is set to miss out on Dublin’s O’Byrne Cup campaign as he will be lining out for Tallaght IT in college league games in preparation for next month’s Trench Cup. However, he will be available for Pat Gilroy from the start of the National League, which kicks off with a trip to Armagh before the clash with All-Ireland champions Cork in Croke Park a week later.
O’Gara is excited at the prospect of Dublin playing their Division One home games at Headquarters, although like the county’s senior hurling manager Anthony Daly, he is concerned the footballers will lose something switching their home games from Parnell Park.
“Maybe you’re losing out a bit on Parnell Park, a tighter pitch and more intimidating for opposition but I think it’s a plus anyway.
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