'It may be the downfall of this system': John Cleary open to neutral venues for Round 3 ties

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT: Cork manager John Cleary believes neutral venues for Sam Maguire Round 3 should be looked at for the 2027 season. Pic: ©INPHO/Tom O'Hanlon.

Cork manager John Cleary believes neutral venues for Sam Maguire Round 3 should be looked at for the 2027 season.

Cleary’s Cork footballers have been rewarded for their first-round win over Meath with a Round 2A trip to Ballybofey to face Division 1 League champions Donegal this Saturday. 

And were Cork to come up short in the backyard of last year’s beaten All-Ireland finalists, there is a 50-50 chance they’ll be back on the road the weekend after in last-chance-saloon Round 3.

In response to a question about the prize for victory and punishment for defeat being equally sizable at Ballybofey this weekend, Cleary wondered if the home-and-away format of the opening two rounds should be dispensed with for Round 3 and neutral venues employed instead.

“It may be the downfall of this system, really, in that our reward for beating Meath the last day is going to Donegal. I am just wondering going forward, and you can’t say it now because it’ll be taken as sour grapes, should it be after this round that neutral venues come into it,” Cleary told the Irish Examiner.

“I can see maybe where the powers-that-be want to fill out stadiums. That’s what they’ll do with home venues.

“Look, I’m not going to talk about it now because we knew the rules from the start of the season, and it could have just as easily been us pulled out of the hat [first], as well.

“It may be something that might want to be looked at at the end of the season. But that’s for another day. All we are focusing on is the game on Saturday and see where it takes us.” 

Asked if he agreed with the consensus view that Cork had been handed the most difficult Round 2A assignment of all the opening-round winners, Cleary replied that from both a logistical and form perspective, the draw hadn’t done them a whole pile of favours.

“I suppose it was, particularly from where we are situated in the country and the logistics of the travel and things like that.

“Also on form, Donegal were All-Ireland finalists last year. They’re League champions this year. Last time out, they went down to the All-Ireland champions and beat them in their home patch. They're favourites for the All-Ireland, as well.

“All those things put together, it is a difficult task. But one we are looking forward to.” 

Reflecting on Donegal achieving the rare feat of recording a championship victory in Killarney, the Cork boss reckoned Jim McGuinness learned from what Cork hadn’t done against Kerry in the Munster final.

“They had much more movement up front. They really stretched Kerry. They had some excellent turnovers, hit them on the break, and then on other occasions, they were very patient, strung 13 and 14 passes together, rarely turned over the ball and picked off their scores, whether it be one or two-pointers, and got in for their goal. They were excellent in the first-half that day.” 

Cork were victorious over Donegal when last the pair clashed in championship, that the 2024 All-Ireland SFC group fixture at Páirc Uí Rinn which the home side won on a 3-9 to 0-16 scoreline.