Cork could learn one lesson from Kilkenny – be ruthless

The only bit of entertainment I got out of the two games this weekend was meeting the renowned Effin’ Eddie from YouTube fame in the middle of the field at Semple Stadium, writes Tony Considine.

For ten minutes he kept me laughing with yarns about hurling over the years. He was also giving out, however, about the game yesterday and the Tipperary one last week, using language and terminology that made him famous.

I wish I could use some of that language here now to describe the two games of the weekend, at Nowlan Park on Saturday evening and Thurles yesterday. It has to have been the worst weekend for hurling in a long time.

I’ll start with Kilkenny’s annihilation of Offaly. It’s sad to see Offaly go so low, a county that has produced teams over the ’80s and ’90s packed with personalities and skill. Where has it all gone? Sad also to see a Kilkenny crowd getting soft and showing sympathy for one of their own greats, Tommy Walsh. Tommy was brought on as a forward, where he won an All Star when he started out. He had three shots on goal, all of which went wide, and a couple of passes that went astray. All the time the crowd were willing those balls over the bar and cheering for him to do something good. That’s not what any player wants, not in any situation, and I’m sure even Tommy himself — proud hurler that he is — didn’t enjoy it.

That was all I took from that game, which wasn’t really a game at all. It wasn’t even a decent training session for Kilkenny. It’s impossible to judge where Kilkenny are this year, but we did learn one thing, whatever about the crowd, this team hasn’t learned how to show sympathy. Were it not for the Offaly keeper, James Dempsey, even the electronic scoreboard would have been in trouble.

To Semple Stadium, and probably an even bigger disappointment than Nowlan Park. I was expecting Offaly might be in trouble, I was hoping Waterford would again put it up to Cork yesterday. They didn’t. What were they doing playing their forwards over 50 yards from the Cork goals? How were they going to beat Cork like that? Get your attackers where they can do damage, up front and challenge the defence at least. Waterford didn’t do that.

Cork dominated this game but they were facilitated by Waterford, who never really challenged. I know they lost Noel Connors early. I know too the temptation was strong to start Noel even though he was injured, but it backfired. That was a psychological blow for Waterford, especially so early in the game.

What I can’t understand from the drawn game just two weeks ago, not alone were Waterford beaten, they were beaten in every sector of the field. It was like they believed what a lot of people were saying, that they had blown their opportunity and wouldn’t be able to rise to the challenge again. That’s a very poor sign of a team and something Derek McGrath will have to address or it’s going to be a very short season for them.

Cork too still have one huge lesson to learn, one they could take from Nowlan Park — when you have a team on the rack stretch them till they break. Cork had Waterford badly beaten yesterday but where Kilkenny got five goals against Offaly, Cork got none against Waterford.

Let’s be positive though. Cork’s best line yesterday was the half-back trio of Christopher Joyce, Mark Ellis and Lorcán McLoughlin, with Stephen McDonnell also impressing behind them. The two midfielders too were outstanding, Aidan Walsh especially, a huge asset to Cork this year. I know he has a lot of improving to do but already he’s proving something of a powerhouse there, a perfect partner for Daniel Kearney.

And of course the half-forward line hit ten points between them. You couldn’t ask for anything more. Three points for Seamus Harnedy in the first half, when this game was still half a contest — this is his best position. Bill Cooper also, three points from centre-forward and proved a handful for both Kevin Moran and Brick Walsh, then four for Conor Lehane.

The real class player on the field though was once again Patrick Horgan. What a striker. What a player. Has anyone faster hands?

From here? If Cork win against Clare the Munster final would be in Páirc Uí Chaoimh. I was offered free accommodation for that weekend yesterday, by a Corkman of course. They’re starting to believe...