Rebels unleash full power

LAST September, Conor Counihan’s anxiety grew in the closing stages of the All-Ireland final as Cork clung to a narrow advantage and Down pressed hard to draw level.

There was a sense of relief that day when Cork eventually claimed victory but when the teams renewed acquaintances in Páirc Uí Rinn on Saturday night, Counihan was able to relax before the finish.

There was no uncertainty about this result in the finale as Cork’s second-half power play overwhelmed an increasingly beleaguered Down outfit.

This was Cork’s most impressive display of the spring as they unleashed the football that had only surfaced sporadically during last season’s championship. As a consequence they are now back jostling in the upper echelons of the Division 1 table and given their championship programme does not look to carry major stress tests in the early stages, an extended league run can be beneficial.

The most pleasing aspect for Counihan was that Cork carried off the spoils by plundering a few goals. The fact they managed just three goals in their previous nine league and championship games was a cause for concern but they corrected that failing in style. Pearse O’Neill fly-kicked to the net in the sixth minute after Paudie Kissane released him into space, Colm O’Neill finished excellently in the 58th minute after fielding a long punt forward by Noel O’Neill and Patrick Kelly capped an enterprising team move in injury-time with a neat strike.

Indeed Ciarán Sheehan and Kelly had other opportunities to find the net in the second half and that demonstrated the manner in which Cork’s attacking movement clicked to carve open the Down rearguard.

“We’re constantly working hard in training with the lads to create that,” noted Counihan afterwards. “It was nice to see them go in but we need to do that now on a consistent basis.”

The winning margin may have left the home punters elated as they walked down Boreenmanna Road on Saturday night. Yet the Cork boss attributed it more to the problems Down faced in operating at a high pitch after the 225 mile trek south.

“Playing at home is a big advantage as the travelling is difficult. The trip can take a lot out of you, coming all the way down here and towards the end we had that little edge in fitness.”

James McCartan went away with plenty to mull over. Down’s struggles to win primary possession from kickouts was a key element of their downfall last September and on this evidence there have not been substantial improvements. New netminder Cathal Murdock could not pick out a team-mate from his restarts with any frequency as the match wore on and that midfield supremacy was the platform for victory. The sight of Aidan Walsh entering the fray in the 44th minute confirmed to McCartan that his opponents were dealing with a superior hand.

“When you see the likes of Aidan Walsh and these guys with 20 minutes to go coming off the bench to make an impact on the game, it just shows how strong Cork are. It was chastening watching the last 20 minutes.

“We were in the hunt for 50 minutes. Even if we were living off scraps of possession, we were looking dangerous when we had the ball. But it’s the same old story for us, trying to win primary possession off Cork is difficult.”

It’s a live issue for Down yet McCartan will be pleased with the verve of his attack in the first half. Danny Hughes and Mark Poland were in flying form in the half-forward line and Down were well in contention as they trailed 1-9 to 0-11 at the interval. But Cork had attacking trump cards of their own. Confidence continues to course through the veins of Daniel Goulding and Patrick Kelly, and that was reflected in stellar showings. Goulding’s marksmanship in the first half was top drawer as he contributed seven points and Kelly looked extremely comfortable pulling the strings at centre-forward. More encouragingly for Cork was the input of Fintan Goold at half-forward as he claimed three points and continues to benefit from a concerted run of games.

Counihan said: “Fintan has always been valuable to us, whether it be starting or coming on, and I think he’s blossoming. It’s about getting consistency now. It can take a while for fellas to develop but you need a bit of luck in this game too.”

Goold’s younger brother David saw game time at the end and contributed a point with his first touch of the match. Cork’s side at the finish was also dotted with members of last week’s triumphant UCC Sigerson Cup team in goalkeeper Ken O’Halloran, defender Sean Kiely and midfielder James Fitzpatrick, who made his inter-county senior debut. Kevin O’Driscoll was also named amongst the subs and the breath of options available to Counihan is increasing. “It’s important that you try to blood players and we were fortunate to get a few guys in there tonight. It was nice to see them making a contribution.”

Scorers for Cork: D Goulding 0-7 (0-5f); P Kelly 1-2 (0-1f); C O’Neill 1-1; F Goold 0-3; P O’Neill 1-0; C Sheehan 0-2; D Goold, A Walsh 0-1 each.

Scorers for Down: M Poland 0-3 (0-2f); R Murtagh, M Clarke (0-1f) 0-2 each; K McKernan, C Murdock (0-1 45), P Fitzpatrick, C Laverty, D Hughes, D Rooney, A Branagan, C Garvey 0-1 each.

Subs for Cork: A Walsh for Murphy (44), S Kiely for O’Sullivan (44), F Lynch for O’Leary (62), D Goold for C O’Neill (63), J Fitzpatrick for A O’Connor (68).

Subs for Down: J Colgan for King (44), P McComiskey for Murtagh (44), C Garvey for Howard (48), J Clarke for Laverty (56), A Carr for M Clarke (62).