Cleary and Cork embark on latest season-defining mission, but it's different this time

Cork's Brian O’Driscoll leaves the field dejected after the defeat to Kerry. Pic: Bryan Keane/Inpho

Backed into a corner. Again. Fight or flight. Again.

Familiar territory for the Cork footballers tomorrow in Portlaoise. And a familiar backdrop too to their season-deciding fixture.

A string of defeats. Ten weeks without a win. The winless 10-week run cannot run a day more. Backs pinned to the wall, Cork have 70 minutes to extricate themselves from the latest tight spot they find themselves in.

All of the above is usually Cork’s spring narrative. 

Lose a couple of League games on the bounce, dance with the drop, only to then jilt relegation and Tailteann Cup involvement at the altar, opting instead to renew vows with Division 2 and Sam Maguire for another 12 months at least.

And so tomorrow’s Roscommon assignment falls into a similar category as the League relegation play-off against Westmeath in 2021, the Round 7 League game away to Offaly in 2022, Fermanagh in Round 4 last year, and Louth in Round 6 earlier this year.

End the losing streak and Cork’s season is saved and looks up. Lose and their season goes beyond rescue.

Westmeath, Offaly, Fermanagh, and Louth were all overcome. These Cork footballers have time and again proven themselves a dab hand at squeezing out of tight corners.

“When our backs are to the wall, we do perform,” said captain Brian Hurley following the relegation-relieving League win over Louth in mid-March.

All those referenced games, though, have one outstanding difference from tomorrow. They were league. This is championship. The stakes thus are different, higher. Increased heat in the kitchen.

“If you want to progress to the next level, this is the type of environment you've got to get used to,” said manager John Cleary this week.

“Up to now, everyone had another day out, but now it's either we're finished or we're heading on. Every game is knockout. So, it's a case of, if you're not good at that, you won't progress.

“We're coming to the knockout stage a week earlier than most, Roscommon the same. Off the top of my head, Mayo, Louth, Clare are other teams in the same position.” 

The Sam Maguire group system is imperfect, flawed. One win from three outings will send Cork through. Roscommon, Galway, Derry, and Louth are all capable of advancing despite no wins at all.

Cork won their opening two games of the 2024 group series and wound up third. Cork have lost their opening two games of the 2025 group series and are again in the hunt for third.

Cleary isn’t overly concerned at how they arrived here. He knows that one victory has the potential to rewrite their season.

“A lot of this time of the year is about momentum. If we could get a win under our belt, it would be great for confidence, great for the whole momentum. 

"And, generally, you see the teams that are successful at the end of the year, they get momentum this time of the year and they go from there, maybe get a lucky victory under their belt, scrape over the line and get going then. 

"When the season is finished, you go back and say, yeah, that was probably the turning point. And that's what we're hoping for at the weekend.

“The lads are in very good form. They realised for lots of it against Kerry the two days, we went toe-to-toe with them. Ultimately, didn't get over the line. But we're not that far off of producing a very good performance. We hope to on Saturday.” 

As hardly needs pointing out at this stage of the week but tomorrow’s clash represents a second Cork-Roscommon meeting of the year. 

On March 1, after Páirc Uí Chaoimh cleared out following the hurlers’ win over Kilkenny, Roscommon took the stage and thumped the locals 2-21 to 0-13. It has proved and has remained the high-water mark of their season.

Since then, they’ve lost to Cavan, drew with Westmeath, lost to Monaghan, beat London, lost to Galway, lost to Kerry, and drew with Meath. That’s one win - over a Division 4 outfit - in three and a half months.

Cork could have had two goals on the board early doors that evening. They butchered both. Could have had three goals on the board by half-time last time out against Kerry. Raising the green flag still confounds them.

“Look, we've paid for it big time, it wasn't just the Kerry game. We had goal chances against Meath, and even in the league, and last year, it's been a constant. Hopefully Saturday now might be a day to turn around and convert those chances that we're creating.

“You'd love to be going in with a win under your belt and having confidence from earlier group games. Same for Roscommon, they haven't had any victory either. Their form has been patchy, as well.

“This is the time to be coming right and hopefully on Saturday we will come out on the right side.”

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