Cork boss Cuthbert fears ‘two-tier’ championship

Cork football manager Brian Cuthbert is confident there will be no "knee-jerk reaction" to the County SFC structure despite the lopsided first-round results.

Reigning champions Castlehaven bagged six goals in the 20-point mauling of St Vincent’s, Dohenys managed only one point in their 22-point annihilation at the hands of Nemo Rangers, while Carbery Rangers had 29 points to spare in the 5-17 to 0-3 crushing of Aghada.

Cuthbert accepts a handful of teams have pulled worryingly clear of the chasing group, but envisages no change to the current structure.

“Everybody is saying what will happen next and there is the danger of a knee-jerk reaction,” he said.

“I think Nemo and Castlehaven are probably that bit ahead of everyone else. I felt sorry for St Vincent’s, they were just up against a team that were far superior. I think Dohenys can still turn things around. If you look at the scores, there appears to be four or five teams ahead of everyone else. Having said that, those kind of heavy beatings were dished out last year and teams recovered.

“The championship is the championship and I don’t think there is going to be change anytime soon.

“I was out and about at the weekend and the one redeeming factor, despite the results being a bit skewed, was that the inter-county lads played very well. I would like to think they are above the level of the normal club player.

“You would be worried there is two tiers developing in the club championship. A lot of very proud clubs found the going very tough last weekend. They are now under big pressure to turn things around. My every wish is that they do because a lot of these clubs are very important to Cork.”

Rounds two and three have been scheduled ahead of the county’s Munster opener on June 21 and Cuthbert is hopeful club demands do not impinge on their preparations. Indeed, the third-round falls just seven days shy of their Munster semi-final.

Michael Shields (St Finbarr’s) and Donal Óg Hodnett (O’Donovan Rossa) are still club-tied as a result of first-round defeats and Cuthbert says it is unprecedented that inter-county players would remain with their club for a period of four weeks.

“All these rounds of club action are going to be played before we play our Munster opener. I was hoping last weekend all the Cork players would be finished. However, some of them are still involved with their clubs. The clubs have had the inter-county players now for three weeks, three weeks unbroken, which is unheard off. One of the clubs didn’t win and they are now going to have a player for four weeks. I have no choice but to let the players remain with their clubs.

“At the height of the summer a club has a player for four weeks and I think they can have no complaints. I am coming from the situation where I was involved with a club and I know a club has to drive on and needs these players. I think it is very important to look at the bigger picture and while I would love to have the lads all the time, I know that is not going to happen.”

Cuthbert, on top of a 28-strong championship panel, named a development squad of seven U21 players and says the door will be open to any footballer who impresses.

“If these guys can come in and consistently better someone else, then we’d have no qualms in moving them onto the squad proper. That is the carrot that is in front of them.

“At the moment our focus is just getting ready for June 21 and I am just saying we need to be up 20% or 30% on what we were against Dublin.”