Cork finally in control after win over Donegal as Cleary demands consistency
LOOKING UP: John Cleary manager of Cork during the game against Donegal at Páirc Uí Rinn. Pic: Matt Browne/Sportsfile
Across every Division 2 spring since their demotion from the league’s top deck eight years ago, Cork have found themselves chasing. Clawing. Scrambling. Staving off worst-case scenarios rather than setting or sustaining the pace.
They’ve repeatedly allowed their stated goal of a Division 1 return to run away from them in the opening rounds. They’ve repeatedly failed to retain control of their own ambition.
This is different. Heading into the final round of Sam Maguire group action, Cork are neither chasing nor scrambling nor rectifying any Cork-shanked-themselves-again scenario.
They are in control. They finally have an opportunity to realise their own ambition.
Clare, in Round 1, was viewed as their most achievable two points. They achieved them. Donegal, on Saturday, was described as a free hit. They swung a homerun and scored a first championship victory over an Ulster outfit in 13 years.
Tyrone, in two weeks’ time, will tell us how this group fares in the unusual position of being out in front. Because, let’s be honest, this group is far more familiar with trying to shimmy themselves out of a tight corner.
Take a point or two off Tyrone and Cork will progress directly to the All-Ireland quarter-final. Direct progress takes away a preliminary quarter-final assignment and presents Cleary’s charges with a two-week run-in, rather than a seven or eight-day turnaround, to the county’s fourth consecutive All-Ireland quarter-final.
Progress directly and Cork avoid the other three group winners at the last-eight fence, two of whom are likely to be Dublin and Kerry, the other one from Galway, Derry, and Armagh.
Being in control, as Cork are quickly finding out, carries its advantages. A first All-Ireland semi-final appearance since 2012 has jumped into view as a realistic target.
Now to see if they can maintain control.
“We could end up in Derry or Galway or Mayo, or some place like that,” Cleary said of how falling to Tyrone would collapse all the pretty sandcastles outlined above.
“I am sure the lads will come in with a pep in their step. It is our job to get them back onto solid ground because we want to see how far we can go. At different times we have tested the Kerrys, we have tested the Dublins, and then we have left ourselves down at other times.
“Consistency is what we are looking for. We always say, can we put two or three or four performances together.”
On Saturday, they were consistent in turning Donegal over. Where the Ulster champions were loose and careless, Cork’s close-quarter defending was disciplined and decisive. 3-6 they mined from turnovers.
Seán Powter pickpocketed Ryan McHugh on the Cork 65 to send the ceaseless Mattie Taylor off into open country for their opening goal on 18 minutes. Paul Walsh stripped Shane O’Donnell two minutes later for a Chris Óg Jones point. The hosts 1-3 to 0-3 in front.
The interval scoreline of 0-9 to 1-4 informs you that Donegal had taken the sting out of their own errors by half-time. But within five minutes of the restart, four more turnovers had been transformed into 2-1 - Powter and Rory Maguire the green-flag wavers - by a feasting underdog.
Cork, as we are well aware, are capable of exhausting a full range of moods over 70 minutes. From 3-6 to 0-10 ahead on 46 minutes, Brian Hurley’s 53rd minute white flag was their sole score across a 23-minute period.
Chris Kelly’s long restarts wobbled, when for so long Ian Maguire and Colm O’Callaghan had fetched and broke with authority. From one of those lost kick-outs on 67 minutes, sub Aaron Doherty kicked the visitors level at 3-7 to 0-16.
“We were kind of done with moral victories because we had just come out on the wrong side of a couple of results,” said Cork corner-back Kevin Flahive of locating the winning points through Steven Sherlock and O’Callaghan.
“There wasn’t a lot of expectation maybe from outside, from media or whatever, we blocked that out. We wanted to make sure that if we were in it and there was a point or two in it with a couple of minutes to go, we wanted to try and get over the line. To us that is probably the most rewarding thing, just given we have been on the wrong side of so many results.
“Going back to 2010, I remember seeing Cork getting big wins in Cork, and we probably haven’t delivered over the last couple of years since that, which is disappointing for us.”
For Cork, their credentials and status elevated - for the time being. For Donegal, their unbeaten status burnt. Their status as All-Ireland contenders challenged.
“We probably had more turnovers today than we had all the way through the provincial championship,” said Jim McGuinness.
“The first major setback and we have to go away now and have a good look at it and try and understand where we were positive and look at areas we need to work on.”
: B Hurley (0-3, 0-2 frees); R Maguire, M Taylor, S Powter (1-0 each); C O’Callaghan, C Óg Jones (0-2 each); P Walsh, S Sherlock (0-1 each).
: P McBrearty (0-7, 0-3 frees); O Gallen (0-3, 0-2 frees); C Moore (0-2); R McHugh, C McGonagle, N O’Donnell, A Doherty (0-1 each).
: C Kelly; K Flahive, D O’Mahony, T Walsh; M Shanley, R Maguire, M Taylor; I Maguire, C O’Callaghan; P Walsh, S Powter, B O’Driscoll; M Cronin, B Hurley, C Óg Jones.
Subs: C Corbett for Powter (44, temporary); S Sherlock for Jones (50); T Clancy for T Walsh (56 inj); R Deane for Cronin (65); E McSweeney for Hurley (69); S Meehan for P Walsh (73).
: S Patton; P Mogan, B McCole, E Bán Gallagher; R McHugh, C McGonagle, C Moore; J McGee, M Langan; S O’Donnell, C Thompson, D Ó Baoill; P McBrearty, O Gallen, N O’Donnell.
Subs: A Doherty for Ó Baoill (HT); O Doherty for McGee (42); J Brennan for N O’Donnell (52); J Mac Ceallbhuí for S O’Donnell (61).
: B Griffin (Kerry).
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