John Cleary rues Cork inefficiency as Mayo make Rebels pay

Cork manager John Cleary: "Hopefully the experience will stand to these lads going forward. But as I said, we would be very disappointed going home this evening.” Pic: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

Efficiency. John Cleary time and again went back to the same word and same theme.

His message was simple and repeated often: Mayo were efficient, Cork were not.

By our count, Cork took aim at the Mayo posts, either from play or placed ball, on 35 occasions. 16 stuck, 19 did not. That’s a 45% conversion rate.

The numbers are worse again from play alone. 11 stuck, 18 did not. That’s a 38% conversion rate.

Little wonder so that talk of efficiency, or lack thereof, was an oversized figure during the Cork manager’s post-match debrief.

“We weren't good in front of goal today, and we didn't get the scores,” said Cleary.

“Mayo were much more efficient, and they got the scores. That's the reason they got over the line. We just scored 18 points, which is not enough to win a quarter-final here in Croke Park on a fine evening. We'd be disappointed about that.” 

Mayo’s defensive vulnerability was an oversized figure in the build-up to this game. Their policing of the arc wasn’t aggressive enough. Their protection of Jack Livingstone’s goal was far too loose.

The almost-fatal habits of recent weeks were left at home.

In the first of the weekend’s football quarter-finals, Mayo limited Cork to two goal chances. Livingstone saved so well from Chris Óg Jones early in the first half and from Brian O’Driscoll late in the second.

Moreover, they limited a team who had kicked 39 two-pointers this year - that’s an average of just under three per game - to a single, unsuccessful two-point attempt from play.

For only the third time this year, Cork failed to find the mark from beyond the arc in open play. The orange flag frees of Sherlock and Mark Cronin were dwarfed and drowned by Mayo’s five.

“Mayo pushed up, and they tackled ferociously. For that alone, and for their efficiency, they probably deserved to get over the line,” Cleary continued.

“But we would have a lot of regrets over what we left behind us scoring-wise. As I said, 18 points won't get you over the line at this level.

“They pushed out very much, and there were some scores now that we should have got, but other times, in fairness, our lads were under big pressure and the Mayo defence was very good.

“Their efficiency on the other side was very, very good, as well. Anytime they went up, they were more efficient than us. It was just one of those days that we just couldn't seem to get on terms, and we were shooting a bit under pressure, and lads got a bit frustrated.

“The more wides we had, the more the pressure came on the lads. It was just one of those days that our efficiency wasn't good enough.” 

The misses were particularly pronounced during an opening period where Cork were having the last word everywhere bar on the scoreboard. The 0-9 apiece interval scoreline was a reflection of their shooting, but not their supremacy in everything up to the final skewed product.

A pair of two-pointers in the last eight minutes of the half hauled Mayo onto level terms. The second of those was punishment for a three-up breach in the final minute of the first period.

“The one before half-time was particularly hard. We looked like we'd go in two points up, and facing a kick-out down the field and there might be another score. All those little things add up. We just seemed to pull the trigger a small bit too quickly at times. We were trying to chase it maybe too quickly and became frustrated.” 

Frustration has been Cork’s sole Croke Park experience this year and on each of their last 10 visits over the past 11 years.

A year of promotion and back-to-back championship wins over two of last year’s All-Ireland semi-finalists has been significantly unwound by the failure to grab this massive opportunity.

“I said it to the lads inside there, you know, this is the experience. This is where titles are won and lost. It's a great place to be, but it also can be an unforgiving place to be. In recent times, we haven't had an awful lot of exposure to playing here in Croke Park, and look, we've been here twice this year.

“Look, we didn't get over the line in any of them, but hopefully the experience will stand to these lads going forward. But as I said, we would be very disappointed going home this evening.”