Munster redemption priority for Rebels, insists James Loughrey

Long after his team-mates had retired to the warmth of their Castleblayney dressing room on Sunday, James Loughrey stood pitch side chatting to his parents.

They had come from a weekend’s break in Donegal to catch the game. “My mum couldn’t watch the second-half,” he revealed. “She can never watch, she doesn’t usually like (tight) games. I enjoy the games coming up here.”

The Cork squad had spent Saturday night in Enniskillen, which will be their base for most if not all of their four games in Ulster, the next being Donegal in Ballyshannon on March 1.

The former Antrim footballer had enough trips with his native county to be familiar with the long coach journeys. “It’s really a team-bonding exercise. I love playing the teams up here, I was brought up on it, and it’s good to get the win as well. The boys don’t have a clue, they think Enniskillen is beside Monaghan and Donegal is beside Monaghan — it’s a geography trip on the way up! They didn’t even know if it was euros or sterling they were using,” Cork may sit on top of the table but Loughrey says their priority is performance. Securing Division One status comes next. It’s all about another tilt at Munster after last year’s crushing final loss to Kerry on home turf. “Personally, I’ll never forget the Munster final and I’m sure a lot of the boys won’t but collectively — it was just a game.

“It was surreal, to be honest. But like someone said during the week, ‘no-one died’. You do just get on, get back to your job and work away but for the boys it was desperate.”

Loughrey takes exception to Jim Gavin’s assessment Cork were the most defensive he’s ever seen in last the Division 1 opener against Dublin. “I would disagree with Jim. It definitely wasn’t our most defensive performance last week. We were very, very disappointed last week. We’re a bit farther ahead than Dublin maybe and that was the only reason we won — not defensive structures or anything like that.

“Look at Donegal: it takes a year or longer to master a defensive structure. You can’t just suddenly do it, especially coming up here to play these teams. The northern teams are so used to it and Monaghan play defence as well so maybe we wouldn’t have been so exposed but that’s still definitely a work in progress for us and something we’re working on every day.”

Cork’s approach to the league is different this year for such reasons. “Maybe last year with new management and a whole set of new players we did have to win some matches — we were under a bit of pressure that way — but now it’s 100% about performance. If we can stay safe and win a couple of matches — as Donncha (O’Connor) said, if we win three games and stay up and learn how to play — then happy days.

“I know a lot of managers say you need to play two or three game plans but you do and it’s all well and good playing 15 on 15 in training but it’s in these games we learn how to play.”

On Sunday, Loughrey was surprised Conor McManus stepped up to take Monaghan’s late long-range free even though he had been so clinical with shorter frees, most of which he had won himself, earlier in the game. Loughrey was one of a few men who were assigned to him.

“Conor is unbelievable — I thought the one (free) at the start of the second half was soft but he is good. I was watching videos during the week and he does very well to win them. Boys are getting their hand in and he’s just wrapping them. He’s just done well to win them; he’s one of the best forwards in Ireland. It’s good to mark him, it’s a good challenge.

“I was shocked the ’keeper didn’t hit it, I don’t know why he didn’t. It was a yard inside the 45’ and last year he was chipping them over from 60 yards. Glad to see it go wide and the referee blew the whistle, thank God.”

Power blasts ‘cynical’ Armagh

Wexford manager David Power has slammed Armagh as “negative and cynical.”

Power was furious as his side slumped to a 2-13 to 1-8 defeat in Sunday’s Division 3 clash at Wexford Park. The result leaves his side bottom of Division 3 and facing a battle for their survival.

But Power was dismayed by the manner in which Armagh approached the tie.

“We conceded just 16 frees to Armagh’s 35, but we received two black cards to their one, so something is not adding up,” said Power. “The negativity of Armagh was unbelievable but yet they only received a single black card.

“Their play was negative and cynical and leaves a sour taste in the mouth.

“But perhaps we are too honest. We are a young side so that is something they will have to learn to cope with and learn quickly. This cynical play is something the GAA need to address.

“We are fighting to stay up but we have five games still left to play. The next game away to Louth on March 1 is now really a four-pointer, Louth having beaten Clare.”