Why the Cork hurlers need to go low more often

Before Galway went four straight Championship matches without raising a green flag last year, the team that came closest to winning an All-Ireland title with a similar enough barren goal spell was Cork in 2013, writes John Fogarty.

After three games, they arrived goalless at the All-Ireland semi-final stage, where they managed one against Dublin, before obliterating that trend by finding the net on three occasions twice in the final dates with Clare.

However, goal-scoring has long stopped being a strength of Cork. Over the past six seasons, they have averaged just one per match and their record in the league — 1.22 — isn’t much better.

Last year, they scored only six goals in 10 league and championship outings.

Although their two goals in Division 1A this year, scored by Shane Kingston and Conor Lehane, puts them ahead of Kilkenny, Tipperary and Waterford, who have managed just one, there is little indication Cork will move away from being a side more comfortable with shooting high.

One of Cork’s finest goal-scorers, a player who found the net in three All-Ireland finals, Kevin Hennessy knows goals are down across the board, but he notices the goal shyness is particularly acute in Cork.

“Growing up, you were told to take the points and the goals will come, but they won’t if you don’t bother to try for them,” said Hennessy. “We don’t try enough. Opposition seems to play well against us, because we don’t get goals and we’re a team that has to get goals.

“The likes of Patrick Horgan and Conor Lehane should be set up for goals. If you don’t get it, you don’t get it, but the ball can sometimes rebound to a team-mate and it might not be cleared, but it’s just not in our mindset to go for them nowadays.

“You see lads, when they do go for goals, shooting too high, where it’s handy for goalkeepers. Damien Cahalane being sent off didn’t help against Waterford last year, but it was goals that won that game for Waterford.”

Hennessy maintains the short puck-out strategy is a contributory factor.

“The goalkeeper has to find his man and he another and then another. As all this is happening, the other team have set themselves in position, so that goals are hard to score, but if the ball is pucked 70 or 80 yards down the pitch and your man is there to win it in the air, it creates opportunity. He may draw in his man and there is space created to pass it.

“Seamus Harnedy has been at full-forward, but he needs to stay in there. He, Lehane and others are the best in the country at picking off points, but you want Seamus in there causing havoc.

“The team went on a great run last year and, when they lost, nobody was getting too down, because the summer felt like a bonus. We got a bit of belief and found some lovely players, but if we don’t score goals, we’re not going to progress from there.”

Ahead of the visit to Clare on Sunday, the Midleton man wants Cork to take the game to the Banner if they set up defensively.

“Clare might play a sweeper and, if that happens, our man who is free in the forward line should mark him.”

This story first appeared in the Irish Examiner.