If Cork are to be crowned All Ireland Winners this September five matches will have to be now won following the defeat to Tipperary in the Munster Hurling Semi Final. This looks to be a very tall order now for the Rebels considering the performance against the Premier County and considering the age profile of one half of the team and the inexperience of the rest of the squad.
The Qualifier Route which is also known as the Scenic Route looks like pitting us firstly against either Offaly or Dublin, going on both those sides losing to Kilkenny and Wexford. After that judging on form, it could be either Galway or Waterford in the next round and that would get us to Croke Park at the Quarter Final Stage. If my memory serves me right the last time either a Cork Senior Hurling Team or Cork Senior Football team failed to play a Championship game in Croke Park in a given year, was 1998 and there is a real possibility of this happening this year!!!
Where did Cork lose this game is the question on everybody’s lips since the final whistle went. Clichés are being bandied about all over the County such as “this team has run out of petrol”, “the well has run dry”, “time has caught up with them”and also the one sure, “they owe us nothing and look at all the great days they gave us” etc etc….
Also some fans will point a lot of the blame on the selectors. The team from goalkeeper to midfield picked itself but surely it was too big a gamble to have such an inexperienced forward line up against the Old Enemy and coming team Tipperary. If we were up against Clare or Limerick ok, we might have got away with it. Jimmy Barry Murphy blooded similarly against Waterford in 1999 but he had little choice and he had players with Minor and Under 21 success behind them. The lack of success at All Ireland level at Minor and Under 21 level has been forgotten about due to the great days and success the Senior team has given us since 1999.
Looking back at the Tipp game who played up to scratch from one to nine, I feel only Donal Og, Shane O Neill, Brian Murphy, and Sean Og played well. John Gardiner looked subdued, Ronan Curran was fair but was he fully fit? The Diarmuid O’Sullivan debate and whether he is too much of a liability will continue to be talked about after Sunday’s game. The Rock’s reluctance to venture away from the square and his sluggishness over the first ten yards when low ball is played in to his man is leading to more and more scores being conceded. Jerry O’Connor and Tom Kenny as ever had fine games and contributed as they always do with scores from play.
Turning to the forwards only Ben O’Connor and Cathal Naughton came out with any credit. The latter certainly answered his critics including me and at Half Time looked the leading contender for “Man of the Match” but for some strange reason was starved of ball in the Second Half. We scored five points between the 24th minute of the 1st Half to the finish of the game and two points in the last 21 minutes of the game. The gamble of Kevin Canty didn’t work but looking at the performance of Niall McCarthy when introduced, what choice did the selectors have in other than to gamble with him. Pa Cronin going on the chances he had, could have ended up with 2-4, he was taken down for the penalty but could he have got a goal if had flicked the ball to the net instead of maybe waiting for the foul to come?? Getting to that penalty the choice of Paudie O’Sullivan to take it was a bad call, he looked anxious and nervous before stepping up to hit it. The substitution of Timmy McCarthy seemed very unjust when changes need to be made, it is always Timmy who has to make way, it has become almost automatic, the real genuine Hurling fan realises all the hard work and graft he gets through in a red jersey. Nine different forwards were tried before Joe Deane was brought on in the 67th minute, surely a mistake not to have introduced him earlier when Cork were hitting some terrible wides, when the game was still in the balance.
Much was made by the management about the disruption to their preparation due to club activity, the players now go back to their clubs for a few weeks leaving the selectors with little time to prepare for a Qualifier game which looks like being played on July 12th.
Taking the performance and the options open to the selectors should the team be something like this for the Qualifier Game?
1. Donal Og Cusack
2. Eoin Cadogan or Shane Murphy
3. Shane O’Neill
4. Brian Murphy
5. John Gardiner
6. Ronan Curran
7. Sean Og
8. Jerry O’Connor
9. Tom Kenny
10. Ben O’Connnor
11. Timmy McCarthy
12. Cathal Naughton
13. Paudie O’Sullivan
14. Neil Ronan
15. Kieran Murphy
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