Colman Corrigan: I'm worried about Cork's physicality. We are being blow apart

Cork's Brian Hurley and Donal Keogan of Meath Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Laszlo Geczo

Former Cork footballer Colman Corrigan is concerned at how the current crop are being physically blown apart game after game, describing the county’s recent League outings as “boys against men”.

The two-time All-Ireland winner cannot understand how Cork are so far off the pace on the strength and conditioning front when the five-year plan for Cork football, published in January of 2019, prioritised synergy of S&C practices between the senior and underage county set-ups.

Corrigan accepts there must be a level of patience to allow the new management to develop the panel they have put together, but questioned why these players are not further down the line in terms of their physical profile when there was supposed to be a plan in place for the past three years.

“I would be worried about the physicality of Cork football. We were boys against men in the McGrath Cup final against Kerry, we were boys against men against Derry. It was the same against Meath on Sunday. We are being blown apart. Physicality is huge in the modern game and we are being rolled over big time," said the two-time All-Star full-back.

“If the new management has a plan in place to get the physicality right, we’ll have patience for that, so long as there is a proper process of getting physicality into the team.

“But I have to ask why are we being told that we are only now at the starting point in terms of developing lads when we are supposed to be three years into a plan. Look across to Kerry and what they have achieved in recent years. Seán O’Shea is after bulking up and I have seen a big difference in Adrian Spillane in terms of physicality. I saw him in the McGrath Cup final and I couldn’t get over him.” 

Along with Cork’s six-game winless streak, Corrigan’s other chief concern is the extent of the panel’s injury list and what is its root cause.

Full-back and 2021 All-Star nomination Sean Meehan underwent surgery earlier this week on a hamstring injury that has finished his inter-county season, while there is no timeline on when Seán Powter will return from his latest injury setback. Maurice Shanley has yet to be seen in red this year, with Brian Hartnett another out of action since picking up a hamstring injury during a UCC Sigerson Cup game in mid-January.

“Where are all our injuries coming from? There are 10, 11, or 12 guys on the injury list. Is it the fact that they are not used to the heavy schedule of training, is it the type of training, is it physicality?

“I have a theory that some of the lads coming into the county set-up aren’t used to the actual type of training that is being done and it has hit them all of a sudden.” 

Cork’s injury woes have contributed to 14 players being handed their League debut in recent weeks, a level of inexperience that has Corrigan wondering why experienced players such as Ruairi Deane and Luke Connolly were jettisoned from the set-up during the winter months.

“Ruairi Deane could be frustrating at times, but he was physical and able to win his own ball. Luke Connolly, a completely different type of player, could be frustrating, as well, but would it not be better to have him around the panel and helping the younger fellas rather than getting rid of him.” Following the eight-point Round 4 defeat at home to Galway, Ricken said he did not fear being relegated and Cork dropping to Division 3. Corrigan completely disagrees with such talk and believes any acceptance of Cork being in Division 3 amounts to a slipping of standards.

The county's Division 2 status is on the line when Down visit Páirc Uí Chaoimh this Sunday (1 pm), both sides requiring a win to keep alive their bid for safety and involvement in the All-Ireland championship later this year.

Corrigan is expecting a significant improvement on what the players produced when going down to Meath and while critical of that display, he felt his old adversary Colm O’Rourke went a step too far when branding Cork’s display in Navan as “pathetic”.

O’Rourke, during RTÉ’s Sunday evening highlights show, also remarked that Cork players “lacked even the basic skills of the game”.

“I wonder what did he think of Meath against Galway for the first 45 minutes, did he use the word pathetic then? Colm can be slightly against Cork anyway. I wouldn’t call any young fella that puts on a jersey and tries his heart out pathetic, I think it is too strong a word.

“Cork are a team lacking in confidence and when you are sorely lacking in confidence, players get jittery, they get anxious, they try to do things they shouldn't be doing, and a lot of the basic skills can go out the window.

“We have a problem with confidence. The only way to rectify that is by winning your last two games and forget about going down to the other division. We need to be in Division 2, at the very minimum. It is being defeatist to be in any way accepting of relegation.”