Cork shed cloak of anxiety ahead of Kerry clash

LEADER: Ian Maguire of Cork in action against Paul Mathews of Louth during the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Round 1 match between Louth and Cork at Páirc Tailteann in Navan, Meath. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile

All-Ireland SFC

Cork 1-19 Louth 1-17 

Cork have the win they so desperately required. Cork have the shot of positivity they so desperately needed. Now, what can they do with it?

A weight lifted off heavy shoulders at Páirc Tailteann on Saturday. The final whistle scenes were relief stirred in among unfiltered happiness. They were reminiscent of the pictures from O’Connor Park, Tullamore 14 months ago.

On that occasion, Cork squeezed past Offaly in an enthralling contest to avoid a summer in the Tailteann Cup. On this occasion, Cork squeezed past Louth in an enthralling contest to guarantee their stay in the Sam Maguire beyond the new group stages.

Kerry travel to Páirc Uí Chaoimh this Saturday. Waiting for them will be a Cork side with colour back in their cheeks. Waiting for them will be a Cork side unburdened by the pressure of needing a result to stay alive in the championship.

“With the All-Ireland champions and League champions coming up, you don't have to be an Einstein to realise this was a very important game,” said John Cleary after his first championship win as Cork manager.

“The league was only so-so for us. Then the Clare match, we were disappointed after that. So if we were beaten again in this, it would have been hard to stomach.

“If we were beaten here, facing the All-Ireland champions would have been a hard ask. This will give our lads confidence. We'll take next weekend as it comes, but at least we have two points in the bag. Until someone passes us out, we are guaranteed third place anyway.” 

We won’t go as far as to say Saturday coming is a free shot for Cleary’s side. But it is a fixture that comes with no jeopardy or season-defining labels hanging off it.

Cork prioritised containment when they hosted Kerry in last year’s Munster semi-final. It saw them live with Jack’s lads for about 50 minutes. The collective ambition and approach have to be set to a higher bar this weekend.

Saturday coming will provide further evidence of where this Cork team are at in their development under Cleary and Kevin Walsh.

Last Saturday shone a light on where Cork mined improvements in the seven weeks since the Clare setback. That said, it also amplified the areas where this group is making a bad habit of falling down.

The same as against Clare, Cork’s game-management when in possession of a healthy second half advantage was really poor. The lead coughed up against Clare was four. Here, it was six.

The 45th minute goal that came at the beginning of a 13-minute period where Louth outgunned their opponents by 1-6 to 0-2 was wholly avoidable. A seven-point swing that moved Mickey’s Harte men 1-14 to 1-13 in front. 

Míchéal Aodh Martin’s short restart to Daniel O’Mahony had barely reached the latter when sub Liam Jackson thundered in, forced the turnover, and buried.

Cork were without cuteness or meanness as Louth went through their cover with greater frequency than a seaside shop throws out 99s on scorchers such as Saturday.

When Cleary’s charges are shifted onto the back foot, there seems to be very little middle ground. They go straight from steady and structured to ragged and unraveled at the seams.

The resistance offered as Ciarán Downey, Tommy Durnin, Leonard Grey, and Sam Mulroy split the posts to lift Louth ahead was not what it had been for the three quarters of an hour previous.

While necessary to flag the troubling aspects of their performance, one shouldn't get too bogged down in them. Saturday, after all, was a positive championship afternoon for Cork football. And they haven’t been overly common in recent years.

What they did well - and what they had failed to do in Ennis - was wrest momentum and the lead back from their opponents in the closing act.

Oh so crucial in finally stopping Louth’s advance was Brian Hurley’s converted free from the stand sideline on 59 minutes to tie proceedings. First half goal scorer Brian O’Driscoll subsequently nudged them back in front.

Amid the frenzy and chaos of the final minutes, subs Steven Sherlock, John O’Rourke, and Conor Corbett came up with big plays and big scores. The midfield pair of Ian Maguire and Colm O’Callaghan, having already contributed four white flags, produced decisive restart fetches on the loaded left flank.

Cork’s Ennis scoresheet had only four names on it. Here, there were 10. And that doesn't even include the outstanding Ruairí Deane.

“After half-time, we looked like we were in control. Their goal really rattled us,” Cleary continued. “But our lads showed great resolve, we got a couple of vital overturns in the half-back line. We were determined that if it came down to a battle in the last few minutes, that we weren't going to be found wanting.” 

What more can they show us now that their summer has space to breathe.

Scorers for Cork: B Hurley (0-8, 6 frees); B O’Driscoll (1-1); C O’Callaghan, I Maguire (0-2 each); K O’Hanlon, S Powter, C Óg Jones, S Sherlock, J O’Rourke, C Corbett (0-1 each).

Scorers for Louth: S Mulroy (0-8, 0-4 frees); L Jackson (1-0); C Downey (0-2); P Lynch, L Grey, T Durnin, C Early, C Grimes, C Lennon, D McKeon (0-1 each).

CORK: MA Martin; M Shanley, S Meehan, T Walsh; L Fahy, D O’Mahony, M Taylor; C O’Callaghan, I Maguire; K O’Hanlon, S Powter, B O’Driscoll; R Deane, B Hurley, C Óg Jones.

Subs: K O’Donovan for Meehan (20 mins, inj); S Sherlock for Powter (48, temporary); C Kiely for Walsh (49, inj); E McSweeney for O’Hanlon (55); C Corbett for Óg Jones (64); J O’Rourke for Hurley (73).

LOUTH: J Califf; D Campbell, P Lynch, A Williams; N Sharkey, D McKenny, L Grey; T Durnin, C Early; C McKeever, C Downey, B Duffy; P Mathews, S Mulroy, C Lennon.

Subs: D McConnon for Mathews, D McKeown for Duffy (both HT); L Jackson for Campbell (38); C Grimes for Lennon (44); C McCaul for McConnon (65).

Referee: M McNally (Monaghan).