Counihan playing it cool

IT IS a unique occasion for the current Cork football squad to be preparing for a league showpiece against Dublin, yet their manager has plenty of tales of springtime collisions with capital forces with which to regale his players.

Back in 1987, Conor Counihan was part of a Cork panel that were embarking on the journey south from Croke Park at the same time as Barney Rock was scoring the ‘winner’ that sealed Dublin’s success in a bizarre league quarter-final.

Twelve years on, Counihan was a member of Larry Tompkins’ backroom team when they toppled Dublin in the league decider on home soil in Páirc Uí Chaoimh. The monsoon conditions of that day in 1999 still burn vividly in his mind yet for colour and drama, it is that Croke Park clash 24 years ago which stands out.

“I wouldn’t really have a great memory of 1999 apart from it being a desperate wet day. Given the difficult conditions, it was a great win. It’s the one before it I’ll always remember when it comes to Cork and Dublin in the league. You wouldn’t be forgetting a game like that too quickly.”

That 1999 triumph was a rare day of league splendour for Cork. Between 1990 and 2009, the county had only two Division 1 league final appearances to show for two decades of toil in the early months of the year.

Since Counihan took up the managerial reins in February 2008, Cork’s league record has undergone a radical transformation. He went in initially in 2008 on a fire-fighting mission to protect Cork’s Division 2 status.

But since then it’s been about competing at the peaks for Cork, with a Division 2 title claimed in 2009 and a Division 1 trophy last April. Counihan admits that it has been a central tenet of his managerial philosophy to compete vigorously for league honours.

“The past three years has been progressive and being in the final on Sunday, I see as further progress. If we were to win it, it would be another national title which would be great.”

This season’s achievement at reaching the final has been noteworthy considering their roll call of absentees. Graham Canty, Anthony Lynch and Alan Quirke have yet to kick a ball while it was not until three weeks ago in Castlebar that John Miskella was spotted in the inter-county jersey.

Of the 23 players that saw action in Cork’s last two league games against Mayo and Armagh, 15 of them are under the age of 26 while seven of that group have never started a championship tie. Yet the level of maturity displayed has impressed Counihan. “I think we’d be very disappointed that we’ve been missing the senior players. But in another way, it’s been a blessing in the sense that guys have had to grow up and take responsibility. They’ve done that very well. Yet the true test for us will come on days like Sunday.”

One player missing on Sunday is Colm O’Neill, on the sidelines with a cruciate ligament injury.

“It doesn’t come much tougher than that,” says Counihan. “You look at Henry Shefflin in the hurling context and he’s in the same boat. But I’ve no doubt that Colm will bounce back. We’ve a guy on the panel in Denis O’Sullivan who has come through that. Colm is made of tough stuff.”

When Cork squared up against Dublin in Croke Park last August, the contribution of O’Neill off the bench in the second half was pivotal in turning the game Cork’s way.

But since then Dublin’s development has been hugely impressive under Pat Gilroy. A draw in their concluding game against Galway was the only time this year that they did not garner both of the points on offer.

“In fairness it’s phenomenal what he (Gilroy) has achieved in a very short period of time,” remarks Counihan.

“Our performance to date won’t suffice to turn Dublin over. They look to have to improved their squad as well. Everybody would like to see Dublin successful, including myself, but not this time, as the fella says.”