Cork’s Ronan McCarthy relishing second coming

Brian Cuthbert and Ronan McCarthy ran into each other at a "work thing" early in the New Year.

McCarthy had served as Cuthbert’s right-hand man during the latter’s turbulent first season as Cork football boss, departing the set-up last August following his appointment as principal of Nagle Community College, Mahon.

Unsure if he’d be able to give full commitment to the Cork role, McCarthy believed the team would be best served by a selector whose main focus were matters red and white.

Cuthbert is well adept in balancing the roles of inter-county management and educator, as principal of Scoil an Spioraid Naoimh, Bishopstown, and was successful in coaxing McCarthy to return in late February.

Looking back, McCarthy reveals he never truly wanted to step away.

“Honestly, there was no arrangement made between Brian and I about the position being left open,” says the former Cork footballer.

“The way I left it with Brian was that, if I could help him out in some way— which I thought was scouting players or going to watch matches —I’d have done that.

“It was really quite simple in that, work-wise, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to give the Cork role the requisite commitment.

“It’s amazing the way these things fall into place. I actually met him at a work thing and that’s it basically, it was all done very quickly.

“All things being equal, I’d have stayed on last year, I really enjoyed it and I was delighted to get the opportunity to come back. It’s great that things have worked out.”

Paul Kerrigan remarked earlier this week that the Cork footballers allowed last year’s league semi-final defeat to Dublin derail their championship campaign.

And for a second successive summer they step into the championship arena off the back of a hugely disappointing league final performance against Jim Gavin’s men.

“I would say the players were disappointed with the league final result given that was three big games in 12 months (we lost heavily).

“If you go out and you are beaten by a better team and you have given it your all, obviously you are not happy about it, but the worst defeat is one where you haven’t performed.

“That has happened a couple of times in the last 12 months or so to this team.

“They were disappointed by it and have responded the right way, they came back in and we got back to work fairly quickly.

“This Sunday is the first opportunity for the lads to put the disappointment of the league final behind them and take a step in the right direction for the championship.

“People can say we’ve moved on and we can say we’ve moved on, but until we do it and perform in a big game...”

Looking back now, what exactly happened on that dreadful afternoon at GAA HQ?

“Something we did identify was that the two lads got isolated inside, Colm [O’Neill] and Brian [Hurley]. It’s about getting a balance between a kicking game and a running game.

“Part of the problem is that, if you get men behind the ball to be defensively solid, you then have to get them up the field quickly to ensure that there’s continuity in your attack.

“It is easy to lose your shape, but we were under so much pressure defensively then that we couldn’t come out with the ball at times.

“To give credit to Brian and the players, there was an honest appraisal of the game.”

The Rebels were cleaned out around the middle in the league decider, easily the strongest suit in the armour of tomorrow’s opposition, and McCarthy has welcomed the return of Alan O’Connor in strengthening their midfield options. The 30-year old has been handed the number eight jersey for the Clare fixture, alongside Kevin O’Driscoll.

“What Alan has done is give us another option. Please God Ian Maguire will come back again. What happened in the league is that we were looking for more tactical flexibility from players, to have the opportunity to take a fella like Eoin Cadogan who has played at full-back, centre-back and midfield and give him a specific role or to move fellas around.

“In Clare’s Munster quarter-final, one of the Limerick midfielders was taken off and the other was moved in full-forward. That tells its own story. Gary Brennan has always been a top player for Clare. There is a young (Cathal) O’Connor with him so that will be a good battle.”

How does he feel about renewing acquaintances with Ephie Fitzgerald, the Nemo Rangers clubman enjoying the upper hand when the two men shared the sideline as managers — McCarthy in charge of Douglas — in the 2008 Cork senior football final.

“Not only will he have a certain degree of knowledge of Cork, he also has a certain degree of expertise. It really is irrelevant to us who is in charge though, be it a Corkman or a Kerryman. We have to do our stuff ourselves.”