Rampant Rossies condemn Cork to worst home defeat in seven years
WATCHING BRIEF: Cork's Colm O’Callaghan tries to dispossess Eddie Nolan of Roscommon. Pic: ©INPHO/Bryan Keane
Cork saved the worst performance of John Cleary’s reign for the most inopportune moment as defensive calamities and wasteful shooting resulted in a thumping home defeat.
In the final act of a triple-header at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh, the footballers couldn’t hold the floating voters who trickled out the exits long before the 14-point margin of defeat was confirmed.
This was their heaviest defeat of Cleary’s reign. You have to go back to the 2021 Munster final for a more one-sided scoreline. To the 2018 Munster final for a worse home defeat. And to 2016 against Roscommon at Páirc Uí Rinn for a worse league loss.
That was at the tail end of Cork’s Division 1 days, with the score-difference demolition the leading cause of their drop.
These consecutive defeats to Roscommon and Monaghan, where they trailed by 13 before cutting the final margin to seven, have underlined the gap to those sides with recent Division 1 experience.
Having hoped to relaunch a promotion push, Cork must now watch their backs with only two points insulating them from the Division 3 trapdoor and the risk of Tailteann Cup football. Down hold the head-to-head tiebreaker on the Rebels should they catch up.
A pressure-cooker contest against Louth has become a familiar theme of their recent seasons. It will be no different back at the Páirc on March 16.
Cork were without seven players who featured in the championship-ending defeat to the Wee County last year. The attacking edge of captain Brian Hurley, cruciate-victim Conor Corbett, and opted-out Steven Sherlock was sorely missed here.
But there was no disputing that so much of this defeat was self-inflicted. Both goals came from coughing up possession within sight of their posts. Cork didn’t leave with a green flag from their half-dozen opportunities, striking the crossbar twice in the final 15 minutes.
Their discipline faltered, too. The hosts gave up a handful of 50-metre advancements for not handing the ball back for a free or blocking a solo-and-go. Diarmuid Murtagh took two of those back outside the 40-metre scoring arc for successful two-pointers.
Those came in the first half before the game had escaped Cork’s grasp. Frustration had no right to infect their play at that juncture.
They were equally punished for their wide count, which reached 13 to Roscommon’s three for a finish.
Strangely, Cork had more shots than Roscommon but made far less of those possessions.
The Rossies will be most satisfied to have returned to the scene of their 2023 championship elimination and emerged with a thumping victory to get their promotion bid back on track after defeat in Meath.
They were slick on their kick-out, with Shane Cunnane and Enda Smith mopping up, and more clued in about game management, finishing both halves by kicking buzzer-beating points.
Their goals arrived, via Cork mistakes, in the 49th and 64th minutes.
For the first, Ben O’Carroll had been stripped of possession inside the 21 when sloppy Cork handling allowed him to regain the ball and feed Ciarán Lennon. He tumbled over Neil Lordan for a penalty, which Enda Smith converted.
Roscommon added salt to the wound when Rory Maguire passed back towards goalkeeper Patrick Doyle, who isn’t permitted to receive the ball inside his own half under the new rules, and O’Carroll profited to tap into the net.
It could’ve all been so different. Within two minutes of the first whistle, Cork had created two goal chances. They took neither.
Seán McDonnell blazed wide, although play was called back for a Mark Cronin free, before Paul Walsh cut through only for Conor Carroll to save.
In a cagey first half dominated by frees and slow build-up play, Cork capitalised on those fouls to build an early 0-5 to 0-3 lead.
A Roscommon infraction of the 3v3 rule allowed Cronin to convert a two-pointer and Cathail O’Mahony opened their account from play in the 17th minute.
They didn’t score for the next 15 minutes as Roscommon reeled off six in a row.
The visitors carved out their first goal chance from a Cunnane advanced mark. Ian Maguire’s diving block denied Robbie Dolan before play was whistled back for Cunnane to kick over.
Murtagh punished Cork transgressions with two frees and two more two-point frees Cronin responded with the first two-pointer from play before Conor Hand beat the hooter to go in 0-12 to 0-8 ahead.
Hand made his league debut a fortnight ago and this was a coming-of-age performance as he kicked a 45 before adding a pair of two-pointers from play in the third quarter.
Chris Óg Jones and Paul Walsh points gave Cork hope but it was extinguished by Smith’s spot kick. That was followed by Hand’s second orange flag for a 1-18 to 0-11 lead.
Colm O’Callaghan was pushed forward as Cork gave desperate chase. He had a palmed goal chance saved by Carroll before kicking an advanced mark.
They hit the woodwork twice before the finish.
Seán Powter countered through the middle but his dipping shot struck the crossbar and bounced over.
After O’Carroll’s opportunistic goal, Brian O’Driscoll was next to wallop the goalframe from a flowing move.
Roscommon ended with a long-range Niall Daly point, which was deemed a one-pointer due to a touch from Patrick Doyle as it flew over the bar.
M Cronin (0-8, 1 tp, 1 tpf, 4 frees); C O’Callaghan (mark), P Walsh, C Óg Jones, C O’Mahony, S Powter (0-1 each).
D Murtagh (0-7, 2 tpf, 2 frees); B O’Carroll (1-3); C Hand (0-6, 2 tp, 1 45); E Smith (1-0 pen); S Cunnane (mark), R Dolan, C Murtagh (free), U Harney, N Daly (0-1 each).
P Doyle; N Lordan, T Walsh, D O’Mahony; S Brady, R Maguire, M Taylor; I Maguire, C O’Callaghan; P Walsh, B O’Driscoll, S McDonnell; M Cronin, C Óg Jones, C O’Mahony.
S Powter for T Walsh (43), R Deane for O’Mahony (45), S Walsh for McDonnell (57), C Cahalane for P Walsh (59), H O’Connor for Jones (65).
C Carroll; P Frost, N Higgins, J McManus; R Dolan, D Murray, S Cunnane; K Doyle, U Harney; C Lennon, C Hand, E Smith; D Murtagh, C McKeon, B O’Carroll.
C Murtagh for McKeon (h-t), R Daly for McManus (45), E Nolan for Harney (51), D Ruane for Lennon (61), N Daly for Dolan (65).
S Lonergan (Tipperary).
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