Cork will look at video to see if anything can be done about Dalton red

Pat Ryan thought Cork were "a bit rusty at times" against Wexford.

GONE TOO FAR: Cork's Declan Dalton tussles with Wexford's Rory O'Connor which resulted in both being shown a red card. Picture: Tom Beary/Sportsfile

AHL: Wexford 0-12 Cork 2-21

As tame a league opening as they come for Cork but this trip to Chadwicks Wexford Park was a useful exercise for Pat Ryan.

A depleted Wexford team were never going to be any match for a team boasting nearly a third of its 2024 All-Ireland final starting team. The margin stretched to 12 points in the first half before settling at 10 at half-time, 1-12 to 0-5.

There were significant displays from Brian Hayes, Cormac O’Brien and Niall O’Leary while Pádraig Power accumulated 1-4 in a tidy outing for the Blarney man. Declan Dalton, despite wearing a knee support, was impressing too before he and Rory O’Connor were given their marching orders in the 53rd minute.

Although there were hands raised and referee Michael Kennedy sought advice on the incident involving the pair, both managers took exception to the decision. “Look, obviously Deccy and Rory were sent off,” said Ryan. “I’m not sure there was much in it, to be honest with you. We’ll look at the video and see if we can do anything with that.” 

Rossiter felt Kennedy should have used more discretion: “Hopefully, we’ll have the video tonight to look back on it. I think it was harmless stuff now. We’re talking the fourth weekend in January. Two lads and you have a bit of a shemozzle after a free. I don’t think there was any malice in any of it. It’s gone too severe, to be honest with you. I wouldn’t be happy with it.

“Two yellow cards branded and on we go with it and instead two sending offs for two fellas that aren’t really dirty either. So yeah we probably will be appealing it.” 

With so many first-team players currently sidelined, Rossiter needs his leading men for Sunday’s trip to Tipperary yet this was O’Connor’s second successive dismissal after receiving two yellow cards against Clare in last year’s All-Ireland quarter-final.

Dalton sure would be useful against a Limerick side he starred against in July’s All-Ireland semi-final, his long-range free-taking on show on Saturday as it was in the two bouts with Limerick in 2024.

He also won a penalty and converted it to the net in the 42nd minute, a score that ended any hope of Wexford mounting a comeback with the breeze at their backs on a wickedly wild evening in Wexford.

Conor Foley was black carded for the offence on Dalton and Cork tagged on the next three points to go 15 points ahead. Yet after the opening quarter the difference was just two, a period Ryan honed in on afterwards.

“I thought we were a bit rusty at times. We know that Wexford are depleted at the moment but from our point of view we probably weren’t as sharp as we should have been in the first 15 or 16 minutes.

“It was 0-4 to 0-2 at that stage and we hadn’t made the most of the elements but once we opened up, I thought we played some very good hurling and there were some good performances out there but look the first game of the league. That’ll hopefully sharpen us up as we move forward.” 

As Cork landed ample ball his way in the first half, Hayes was exceptional. He picked off two points and also supplied Power for his 29th minute goal as he powerfully held off Simon Donohoe. Hayes picked off another couple of scores in the second half while O’Brien and O’Leary also stood out in defence.

“Those three fellas have a good bit of training, they have been there all the time and that is what you want at this time of year. The Munster League is a bit of a loss, it gives you a bit of structure in what you’re doing, gives fellas game-time that they mightn’t see it in the league and to wear the jersey in a proper game.

“We hadn’t played a lot of matches, we’ve a lot of fellas, 16, 17, with Sars and the Fitzgibbon and left them away all along so we’ve trained with 23, 24. Look, they’re all positives and we’re moving forward.” 

Notwithstanding his absentees, Rossiter bemoaned a host of misplaced passes. “It’s a tough pill to swallow. We knew what Cork were going to bring but the fundamentals just let us down. When we had possession, we mistimed passes, putting them to feet rather than to hand. We did a lot of donkey work in relation to turnovers but then missed the picks and gave Cork opportunities to take the ball back. We’ve a good bit of work to do on our hurling.” 

Seán O’Donoghue (groin) and Robert Downey (ankle) went off with small injuries but Ryan wasn’t too worried. He expects Mark Coleman and Eoin Downey to be available against Limerick, a game set to attract possibly 30,000 to SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

“We played Limerick there two years ago and there were 20,000 there so in fairness the Cork fans will always come out when they’re home and in fairness to Limerick they have a fantastic following and rightly so with the team that they have. A huge game next week but we’ll regroup, see what injuries we have and get back into the gym on Monday night and see where we go.” 

Scorers for Wexford: C. Byrne (0-7, frees); C. Dunbar, R. O’Connor, D. Codd, C. McGuckin, J. Redmond (0-1 each).

Scorers for Cork: D. Dalton (1-5, 1-0 pen, 3 frees, 1 sideline); P. Power (1-4); D. Fitzgibbon (2 frees), B. Hayes (0-4 each); E. Twomey (0-2); S. Kingston, S. Harnedy (0-1 each).

WEXFORD: M. Fanning; E. Ryan, N. Murphy, S. Donohoe; K. Foley; C. Dunbar, C. Foley, C. McGuckin; C. Hearne, D. Codd; D. Carley, R. O’Connor (c), C. Byrne-Dunbar; C. Byrne, S. Casey, K. Foley.

Subs: R. Lawlor for C. Foley (temp 5-9); R. Lawlor for C. Dunbar (temp 19-22); S. Rowley for D. Carley (22); R. Lawlor for K. Foley (inj 35); J. Redmond for S. Rowley (inj 35+3); T. Kinsella for C. Byrne-Dunbar (55); C. Flood for S. Casey (67).

Sent off: R. O’Connor (straight, 53).

CORK: P. Collins; N. O’Leary, G. Millerick, S. O’Donoghue; T. O’Mahony, R. Downey (c), C. O’Brien; L. Meade, D. Fitzgibbon; D. Dalton, S. Barrett, B. Roche; B. Hayes, P. Power, S. Kingston.

Subs: D. Cahalane for S. O’Donoghue (inj 33); E. Twomey for R. Downey (inj 48); S. Harnedy for B. Roche (56); R. Cotter for S. Barrett (65); C. Lehane for S. Kingston (69).

Sent off: D. Dalton (straight, 53).

Referee: M. Kennedy (Tipperary).