Ronan McCarthy aims for Cork to end league with perfect record after five-goal blast
TO HAVE AND HOLD: Cork’s Colm O’Callaghan shields possession from Louth’s Patrick Reilly during Saturday’s Allianz FL match at Páirc Uí Chaoimh. O’Callaghan scored the first of Cork’s five goals.
Even by the standards of 2020, which must rank as possibly the most bizarre GAA season ever, this was a strange one.
The empty, echoing stadium and masked attendees we now take almost for granted.
Cork players eating in their own homes rather than in a hotel together beforehand? A necessary innovation.
Cork hitting 5-19, though? Louth having three men sent off in the second half? Where did that come from?
Little wonder Cork manager Ronan McCarthy was focused on the result after the game. The win saw Cork though to Division 2 of the league with a game in hand, after all. Cork didn't carry their good form of the springtime through the summer - they skipped that season, like other county sides - but they continued their upward form over the weekend.
"Regardless of what happens, we did it ourselves, we got ourselves promoted, and that’s all we could do,” he said.
“There were very good aspects to our game, we got some very good scores from out the field, and any time you get five goals is good.”
Louth began the game well with a couple of early points, but once Ian Maguire and Paul Walsh settled to their task at midfield, Cork dominated the game totally.
Between the eighth and 21st minute they hit three goals - through Colm O’Callaghan, a clever Ian Maguire flick and Paul Kerrigan.
That third goal made it 3-6 to 0-2, with Louth struggling to make inroads up front. Cian Kiely in particular carried the ball to damaging effect for Cork, whose forwards threatened every time they got possession.
By contrast, Louth were almost totally reliant on Sam Mulroy’s free-taking: the full-forward hit four late frees before the break but Cork still held a 3-9 to 0-8 lead at half-time.
Cork continued where they left off on the resumption, with Killian O’Hanlon and Damien Gore points before Ruairi Deane placed Kerrigan near goal.
His finish to the net was cool, pushing Cork 4-11 to 0-8 ahead. When Louth defender Fergal Donohoe departed on a second yellow on 41 minutes the game was over as a contest.
The home side continued to pick off scores almost at will - sub Mark Collins, introduced on 45 minutes, ended as top scorer with 1-5, his goal coming on 54 minutes. Louth’s discipline continued to fray, with Patrick Reilly and Emmet Carolan both sent off before the end.
Ronan McCarthy said afterwards that he and his side, down to face Longford next weekend, would try to end the league unbeaten: “You don’t see that too often, whatever the division is. You rarely see a team go through the league and win all their matches.
“We haven’t done that yet but we’ll certainly try to do it next week against Longford. It’s a good game for us in that they may have something riding on it - it’s a difficult place to go anyway. Cork played there a couple of years ago and got out of it, but it’s a challenging place to go.
“It’ll be great, particularly if there’s something riding on it.”
There was a great deal to encourage McCarthy and his backroom team in the performance, not just the scoreline. Cork could have almost fielded an entirely different team from the high number of absentees on Saturday night which meant the result was an endorsement of their strength in depth of their panel.
Hard, direct running from Maguire, Walsh, Kiely and Ruairi Deane served the home side well, while Mark Collins’ efficiency in his cameo was another plus for Cork.
The health warning with the display, of course, was Louth’s showing. The Leinster side were second best in almost every department - though credit to Mulroy for his magnificent free-taking - and having three players sent off was a serious indictment of their discipline.
Yet Louth still managed to score sixteen points, and McCarthy was correct in pointing out that some of the eleven frees Mulroy converted were given away cheaply: loose habits picked up in the lower divisions need to be shaken off as a team rises through the ranks.
Still, McCarthy had enjoyable challenges to consider at the final whistle. Whether he and the team would travel as individuals to the Longford game, whether they would make a weekend of it to maximise the opportunity to train (yes to both questions, more than likely).
The ultimate destination, Kerry in the championship, was something to consider at a later date.
“We can’t look too far forward,” said McCarthy, articulating a widespread attitude. “Nobody can.”
Cork’s first goal. Colm O’Callaghan’s slanted run took him through the Louth defence to create the opportunity. It was the score that settled the home team and they soon built an unassailable lead.
The poverty of the Louth challenge. The visitors hit only two points, one from play, in the first 24 minutes; they were unable to cope when Cork injected pace into the attack, and their level of discipline can be gauged by three players getting the line in the second half. Cork will know they’ll face teams which score far higher in all those categories.
Ronan McCarthy’s side had the upper hand all through, with the freedom enjoyed by Cian Kiely and Mattie Taylor key to pushing Louth back the field. Ruairi Deane’s roving commission and direct running also tormented the visiting side.
When a team scores 5-19... Paul Kerrigan hit 2-1 but was topped by Mark Collins 1-5; the attacking half-backs are mentioned above; but the gong gets split between Paul Walsh and Ian Maguire, whose dominance of the middle of the field was central to the win.
Cork boss Ronan McCarthy outlined their bill of health as they turn an eye towards the Munster Championship:
“Obviously Ciaran (Sheehan) Liam O’Donovan, Tomas Clancy, and Kevin Crowley are out for the Kerry game, that’s fairly straightforward. Everyone else has a shout, really. We had a few fellas who felt a bit tight on Thursday and you just don’t take a chance at this stage. We should have a good cohort back again this week — Seán White is back on Tuesday and we’ll add to our numbers. We took Brian Hurley out on Thursday because he felt a bit tight, nothing serious, but again, any sort of strain would take you out of the Kerry game, so you don’t take the chance.”
Seamus Mulhare of Laois handled the game well, getting the big calls right, the three sendings off included.
Cork are assured of promotion but are also keen to go through the division unbeaten, so they’ll take their last game next weekend against Longford very seriously indeed. Louth host Down.
M. Collins(1-5)(3 frees); P. Kerrigan (2-1, 1 free); C. O’Callaghan (1-1); K. O’Hanlon (0-4, 1 free); I. Maguire (1-0); P. Walsh, K. O'Donovan, D. Gore (0-2 each); R. Deane, E. McSweeney (0-1 each).
S. Mulroy (0-11, frees); T. Durnin (0-3); A. Williams, C. Whelan (0-1 each).
M. Martin; K. Flahive, M. Shanley, P. Ring; K. O’Donovan, M. Taylor, C. Kiely; I. Maguire, P. Walsh; R. Deane, K. O’Hanlon, K. O’Driscoll; D. Gore, C. O’Callaghan, P. Kerrigan.
N. Walsh for Ring (43); M. Collins for Kerrigan (45); E. McSweeney for O’Driscoll (53); N. Hartnett for P. Walsh (56); S. Meehan for O’Hanlon (60)
C. Lynch; D. Corcoran, B. Duffy, K. Carr; F. Donohoe, E. Carolan, A. Williams; T. Durnin, L. Jackson; C. Early, R. Curran, C. McKeever; P. Reilly, S. Mulroy, R. Burns.
K. Keenan for Curran (HT); J. Clutterbuck for Carr (44); C. Whelan for Burns (52); D. Campbell for Early (55); G. Garland for McKeever (63)
S. Mulhare (Laois).
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