Seán O'Donoghue: Cork have 'lots to work on' ahead of Galway semi-final

O'Donoghue said the notion Cork are favourites for their All-Ireland SHC semi-final against Galway "is just noise".

Seán O'Donoghue scored his first championship point in Cork's All-Ireland SFC quarter-final victory over Offaly. Pic: ©INPHO/Tom O'Hanlon

Cork will have to be firing on all cylinders when they take on Galway in Saturday week’s All-Ireland senior hurling championship semi-final in Croke Park. After building a comfortable 23-point interval lead in their quarter-final victory over Offaly (eventually winning by 26 points), it was understandable they eased off.

Seán O’Donoghue says it is crucial they remain unrelenting for the full 70-plus minutes.

“The next two weeks are going to be what defines the Galway game, not so much on the day. We just have to make sure that we're ultra-prepared, and ready for the first half and then ready to reset and play the second half at that intensity as well.

“We didn’t intend it but the foot came off the gas a small bit today and we started making some sloppy mistakes. When you’re at that intensity in the first half, you can see that fellas are working off instinct and things are working out. The game kind of slowed down a small bit in the second half and we started to make silly mistakes and that led to two goals, or led to a goal anyway.

“It's hard to pinpoint, I suppose, but it’s something that we're going to have to work on for the next two weeks. Galway are going to pose a new challenge, one that we haven't seen, so it's vitally important that we're all firing for two weeks’ time.

“We have lots to work on, which is always good when you come out of a game like this.” 

The Inniscarra stalwart was one of four Rebel defenders to get on the scoresheet, shooting his first championship point early in the second half. He even thought momentarily about raising a green flag.

“I just think we had that luxury I suppose, when they were kind of sitting a fella back there the odd time.

“You had the luxury of going forward and forcing them to try to track back, and if they didn't track back then you were free to go for it when the chance presented itself.

“If I picked the ball first time, I was probably going to go for a goal, that was on my mind but I obviously mis-picked it and then I had a chance to just throw it over, so yeah, first score in the championship.” 

It’s a third successive semi-final appearance for Cork, and all distractions have to be blocked out. This squad is aware of that more than most.

“Yeah, we know we’re capable of doing it and we've had moments, parts of games and stuff that we haven't done it, but that doesn't define us either.

“When we're firing, we're hard to beat and when we're not firing, we're easy to beat. It's a case of just making sure that we're firing 99% of the time.

“This favourites thing is just noise. It’s up to you whether you want to listen or not, but we don't listen to any of that kind of stuff anyway.”