Cork get back to the script as Déise exit Munster stage

As a sequel, it wouldn’t match up to The Godfather II.

Come to that, it wouldn’t match up to Cork-Waterford II in the 2007 All-Ireland quarter-final replay, but the men in red won’t be complaining, having eased into the Munster semi-final with a facile win yesterday in Thurles.

Cork were well over their opponents, with manager Jimmy Barry-Murphy precise in identifying the key difference between this game and the first encounter. Elmore Leonard used to say that attitude plays a part, and Barry-Murphy agreed: “We made a number of changes but from our point of view, I thought the players showed a much better attitude.

“We won much more possession, our use of the ball was better and our working of the ball out of defence was much better than the last day.”

Their beginning was much brighter, and Waterford manager Derek McGrath went back even further than that. A good deal of hot air is expended on how teams look in the warm-up, but McGrath noted the zip in Cork’s pre-game preparations and worried accordingly.

“It had been alluded to last week in the warm-up that Cork weren’t fizzing. I just knew by the Cork body language today that we were going to meet a fairly irresistible force.

“The disappointing thing is knowing that was coming and still we weren’t able to counter it, and that’s disappointing from a management point of view.”

There was another significant improvement for the winners. Sam Goldwyn would certainly not have been happy with the Cork hurlers of late, the movie mogul favouring stories which began with an earthquake and built to a climax, while the men in red have commenced recent games more like an earthworm.

Yesterday in Thurles they were better: it was two points each on 10 minutes, and six points to three in favour of Cork on 17 minutes. More significantly for Waterford, however, was the departure of Noel Connors before five minutes had gone: losing their best man-marker meant a realignment of their backline.

Reality laid an icy hand on other shoulders, too. For the dazzling starters two weeks ago, yesterday was an exercise in the dreariness of the everyday. Waterford’s Austin Gleeson got a run on goal five minutes in but was instantly snuffed out by defenders zeroing in on him from all quarters, and his three points came late on, with the contest over.

Cork’s Alan Cadogan hit two wides early in the game and found Pádraig Prendergast a sticky customer, though he managed a fine point late in the first half.

Before half-time, Cork won a penalty and Anthony Nash advanced to take it: his shot was saved but Bill Cooper swept the rebound over the bar.

Then we had what is generally called a melee.

The players in question bear responsibility but trouble was inevitable from referee Johnny Ryan’s handling of the game. No-one wants the reins to be held too tight, but Ryan’s laissez-faire attitude left the players to determine the parameters, which doesn’t work in any sport. There wasn’t a nasty edge to the game at any stage, but sophisticated players test the limits expertly and those limits weren’t clearly defined in Thurles yesterday.

A Waterford player struck two opponents after the penalty and escaped sanction, while Seamus Prendergast is probably still wondering how exactly he wasn’t awarded a second-half penalty.

When the dust settled, Cork were nine points ahead at the break, a fair reflection of their economy in possession. Their half-forward line was far more productive than the previous day, both on the ball and in holding Waterford’s half-backs.

That nine-point difference might have been an ominous echo of Waterford’s lead in the drawn game, which Cork reeled in. However, the Déise don’t set up to score many goals and the second half fizzled out into shooting practice for the winners. The return of Paudie O’Sullivan after a lengthy spell out with a broken leg probably drew the biggest cheer after half-time.

For Derek McGrath, there were positives in the second outing in three weeks. Experience like that has to be earned on the field.

“It’s in the bank. It’s just making sure they learn from the whole experience, and I think they will.

“Whether it’ll be via the qualifiers or via the U21 championship — Waterford have a very good Under-21 team — or later in Division 1B next year, I’m not sure, because the qualifiers is now treacherous with the new format of two groups of four. It’s perilous waters.”

McGrath was concerned about his team drifting away from the game plan mentally — and physically, drifting upfield and removing the screen protecting their full-back line at times. The De La Salle man will no doubt be eradicating that from their plan of attack for their next outing.

For Cork the challenge is a good deal starker.

Clare.

“I wouldn’t mind another few weeks to prepare for it,” said Cork defender Shane O’Neill.

“But, yeah, any time you’re coming up against the All-Ireland champions, and we played them last year in the league and three times in the Championship so hopefully now there’ll be a massive crowd up here.

“They were all massive occasions last year and we don’t need to get up for it, it’s just a matter of recovery over the next week, that’s key.”

Cork v Clare, Part Five? Forget sequels, and settle in for the best mini-series since The Wire.