Eoin Cadogan: Cork on the road to nowhere: Surely it's time to twist now?

When I look at Limerick, I see togetherness. As much as it pains me to say it, Cork seem like a bunch of individuals with no collective cohesion

HARD BALL: Limerick's  Mike Casey wins possession ahead of Patrick Horgan at Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Sunday. 

Fool me once shame on you … 

As I walked from my Páirc Ui Chaoimh seat on Sunday at the final whistle, the Wolf Tones’ “We’re on the one road,” was belting out on the sound system...  “on the road to God knows where….” 

It neatly summed up the feeling amongst the majority of Cork supporters – annoyance, frustration, disbelief.

A lot of the same issues from last year’s All-Ireland re-surfacing in every half-conversation as we walked up the hill from the stadium. Then I met a beaming TJ Ryan. ‘Definition of insanity again, Cads’.

Could I argue? I would have loved to have been able to argue the case and stand up for the group I’d only recently departed from but I was left shrugging my shoulders with no counterpoint.

Fool me twice, shame on me … 

During last year’s All-Ireland defeat, especially after half time, you could feel the life being sucked from the Cork supporters. The same mistakes being punished, Limerick relishing in our basic errors and driving the stake through for good measure. I sat on the bus that day sad, annoyed and upset with my own and the collective performance. We travelled to Connolly Station, tears rolling down my face with embarrassment walking towards the train. Eight months later, Easter Sunday was the day to unleash that hurt. Sunday was the day to try something different. Sunday was the day to show Limerick and the country that this is a different Cork now.

But we got nothing, save a five-minute flurry at the beginning. Thereafter Limerick doused Cork ardour with relative ease. Cork were extinguished and the opposition never had to leave third gear.

When I look at Limerick, I see togetherness. They celebrate the turnovers together. The ball gets moved to the man in the best position. They tackle together, the man who comes on means as much to the group as the man who started. I sat next to Limerick’s recently retired Tom Condon and he celebrated every tackle, every turnover, every score like he was still a part of it. I thought to myself: Family. Togetherness. Belief.

As much as it pains me to say this, Cork seem like a bunch of individuals with no collective cohesion. The groans from the south stand and around the stadium when Cork recycled the ball were understandable at times. As frustrating as Aaron Gillane’s goal was, when I look back at it, when Tim O'Mahony looked up to deliver the long ball, both Patrick Horgan and Shane Kingston were running in the same direction, away from the space, leaving Tim with nobody to hit inside and forcing him to turn back where, inevitably, Sean O’Donoghue got turned over.

That comes back to an understanding of each other and that’s not there with Cork. If my team-mate is attacking up the field it behoves me to have my head on a swivel to see what danger lurks behind me in green. That awareness comes with togetherness.

What is worth saying is a word for some of the Cork backs (while everyone else is tearing them asunder); Niall O’Leary, Sean O’Donoughue, Ciaran Joyce and Robert Downey (when introduced), all stood up. It’s no mean feat to stand in a backline when the ship is holed beneath the waterline.

Minimum tackles, token efforts. 2-16 from turnovers. Is that down to Cork’s inability to execute basic skills? Hardly. You’re dealing with the best players in Cork not being permitted execute the basic skills and that comes down to the opposition’s manic work ethic. In that situation, you match the work ethic or you’re fried.

In last year’s All Ireland final, Corks forwards had three tackles in the first half. I would love to know what the tackle count was last Sunday. While the ball must be delivered quicker, there has to always be an option or out ball. Instead, we saw token efforts when it came to running hard for possession.

Unquestionably Limerick were their usual, ruthless, slick selves. Their warm-up was crisp and sharp. Balls pinged to the hand, everyone knowing their job, positioning and what was expected of them. Will O’Donoghue epitomises Limerick’s attitude and haunted Darragh Fitzgibbon for 70-plus minutes without a whimper or a Cork hit being put on the enforcer. Diarmaid Byrnes planting his feet time and time again to shoot. 

Limerick have the smarts to assess opposition strategy, learn and dismantle it. See how they worked the ball out: Rather than Finn, Casey or Nash receiving the ball short and heading laterally to a wing back which inevitably narrows the space and options, they went straight down the middle. In a game where we hear about this middle third being chaotic or a ‘collision zone’, how exactly did they do that? 

Hegarty, Lynch and Morrisey are all critical in this. O’Donoghue and Darragh Donovan both move towards the man in possession knowing the Cork players would push hard and follow - which creates that clearance of space for Morrissey and Hegarty to run diagonally into that central pocket. And diagonally being the difference – both Cork wing backs expected a lateral run across the field that never came and were ultimately left standing there.

After 52 minutes, Ger Millerick and Ciaran Joyce stood in conversation with both hands out as if to say “what the hell is going on”? Who could blame them? There were plenty more in the stands thinking the same.

In the last three championship encounters, Limerick have now beaten Cork by an aggregate of 35 points. In defeat, responsibility falls at everyone’s doorstep. In business, an employee would have to undergo a performance review. This would be rated on teamwork, results and process improvements. If Cork were to be assessed at this moment in time, the euphemism of “not meeting expectations” would be a charitable finding.

With a Cork management featuring two newly-recruited coaches, I expected to see something different but all we got Sunday were the same failings on loop. Either the system currently being deployed by the coaches isn’t working or the players are failing the system being deployed.

I almost sense there’s an arrogance there that we’re sticking to what we know because it’s right, it’s Cork. As if we are the team chasing the three-in-a-row.

Sticking has not worked. It’s time to twist.