Some problems unresolved but Cork's graph is encouraging

Cork players dejected after the Meath loss. Pic: Tom Maher/Inpho

THAT'S a wrap on Cork’s spring. Silverware not brought down on the train Monday doesn’t take from progress achieved. 

John Cleary asked last December if his players were capable of taking the next step. They were and they have.

The next step has to be a first return to the last eight of the championship since 2023. There are some who’ll argue the next step should go beyond that to last-four involvement.

Either way, Cork not back in Croke Park on the final weekend of June represents a failure to build on the body of work of the past two months.

Consistency of results, form, and selection, as well as home soil strength, were all covered in detail on the road to the Division 2 decider. Turning the corner into summer, here's a mix of further positives to be accentuated and rooms to be improved.

Kick-out problem remains unsolved

This one is really beginning to drag. Personnel has changed, retention issues still persist. Let’s go back to Derry in Round 5. Micheál Aodh Martin had a poor day off the tee. 

The five-in-a-row of lost kick-outs approaching half-time, with the elements behind Cork, saw the visitors cede control of the scoreboard and game. Into the second-half, Cork lost 12 of their 21 kick-outs. Only one of the lost 12 was an attempted chip to the edge of the arc. Derry mined 0-9 from those 12 Cork kick-outs.

Pa Doyle was brought back in for the subsequent Kildare game. Into the breeze in the second period, he struggled. Seven out of 10 did not find red. Included in that was one where he was penalised for taking too long. 

The ensuing restart was sent over the sideline and ended with him black-carded for denying a goal-scoring opportunity.

There was a willingness on Doyle’s part to kick short on Sunday, even with the Meath press. His go-to was a left-sided kick to the edge of the arc. Four of these did not come off. 

There was a variety of the ball not travelling the requisite distance or kicking to a physical mismatch of Dara Sheedy and Jack Flynn.

The ability to play short, the rarity of going long to the left, and whether it is Martin or Doyle who is tasked with championship responsibility is the outstanding area Cork must correct in the weeks ahead.

A welcome conundrum

Brian Hurley began Cork’s opening two League games. Contributed 0-5 across the pair of victories.

Injury subsequently sidelined him. His absence was not as sorely felt as one would assume, and no disrespect is intended in stating such. Dara Sheedy stepped up to the first team and didn’t look a step out of place. As for the collective, Cork continued on their winning way.

Such was the form and consistency of the Walsh-Sheedy-McDonnell-Cronin-Jones-Sherlock sextet, it was fair to ask whether Cork would be better served by having the soon-to-be 34-year-old Hurley coming off the bench.

Brian Hurley of Cork celebrates after scoring his side's second goal. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile

He returned to the action when introduced as a sub in Omagh. It was he who pointed after Tyrone had closed to the minimum on the hour mark. He also landed the final-minute insurance score, with a fortuitous orange flag sandwiched in between.

His latest cameo, in Sunday’s League final, saw him finish the goal that brought a flailing Cork back into contention.

The question is still there as to whether Cork would be best served by springing him in the second half. Inside line options off the bench are otherwise truly limited. Cathail O’Mahony is out injured and Conor Corbett played only 46 minutes of the League.

Against that, and such was his impact when introduced at Healy Park and Croke Park, management have to be wondering what damage can be achieved by an inside trio of Hurley, Jones, and Sherlock, with Mark Cronin, who is starting games in the right corner, moving out to the playmaking No.11 role.

In absence of orange, green capabilities cannot misfire

Steven Sherlock and Chris Óg Jones’ combined 1-12 at Croke Park - all bar one point of that total arrived from play - brought their respective spring totals to 0-51 and 4-22.

Sherlock’s 11 orange flags were the main driver in a marginal increase in Cork’s two-point total, up three from last spring to 22.

Travelling in the other direction, though, were green flags waved. Nine goals across seven games last year reduced ever so slightly to eight from eight games in 2026.

On Sunday, Cork managed one two-pointer from six attempts. Meath had heeded the lessons of Páirc Uí Rinn five weeks earlier when their hosts raised three orange flags. Their policing of the arc was significantly improved.

Others will attempt to implement similar stringent patrol of the arc when facing Sherlock, Cronin, O’Callaghan, and McDonnell come championship.

In such scenarios, Cleary’s ace marksmen need to be absolutely clinical when presented with goal opportunities. Jones twice let Meath off the hook in this regard during the first half.

No-one needs to linger on Cork's lack of a clinical final product in previous campaigns. It is simply something they need to be mindful of when the tap is turned off further out.

Favourable Munster draw

This is old news, but no harm to rehash. For the first time since 2023, Cork cannot run into Kerry earlier than the provincial decider. What happened in 2024 and, particularly, 2025 is that John Cleary’s side lived with Kerry in the Munster semi-final, only to fall short at the death, but couldn’t then drive on with the positives and momentum from these near-misses as they were faced with a four and five-week gap to their Sam Maguire opener.

Win or lose the provincial final - Limerick and Tipp/Waterford have to be negotiated to get there - Cork will return to action a fortnight later. Moreover, they’ll return to action at home. Very, very quickly, Cork could find themselves in Round 2A and 70 minutes from an All-Ireland quarter-final.

Same as the front-loading of their more winnable League ties, they cannot throw away this latest hand.