Ben O'Connor on Cork's loss to Galway: Margin of defeat 'not a true reflection' 

As much as the second half of Saturday’s All-Ireland SHC semi-final loss to Galway reflected the final defeat against Tipperary 50 weeks earlier, a more recent reversal was arguably more relevant.

In June’s Munster final against Limerick, Cork had established a six-point lead by the half-hour mark only for the Shannonsiders to finish the half well, scoring the last four points to trail by two.

On Saturday, a 1-12 to 1-7 lead had put Cork in a strong position following an opening where they trailed by five. However, Galway got five of the last six before the break – and then ten of the first 11 of the second half – to effect a huge turnaround.

For Cork manager Ben O’Connor, the periods before and after the interval were huge.

“I wouldn't say confident [going in],” he said, “I thought the few points before half-time killed us, we had a nice cushion at that stage, then they get the first two or three as well, straightaway after half-time.

“It was an area that cost us in the Munster final, it cost us as well today, but look, once they got on top of us, we had no comeback from it. The sending-off made it near-impossible.

“Look, that's not a true reflection of our lads. For everyone watching, people are saying, ‘Cork again,’ but we’re better than that, we just didn't do it today.”

The game was still in the balance with ten minutes left, but Cork were perhaps guilty of trying to force goal opportunities.

“We had a couple of chances to put the ball over the bar and get set again, but we didn’t, we tried to force goals,” O’Connor said.

I suppose it’s very easy for us to be outside on the sideline and to say to tap the ball over the bar, but you're looking up at the clock and you're seeing time running out.

“The boys had the guts to go for it – they thought the goal chances were there, so they went for them. We’re telling them to do that all year, so I can't be going around now saying that we didn't want them to go for it.

“It's just the way it is, and very disappointing.”

As regards Darragh Fitzgibbon’s red card, O’Connor wouldn’t be drawn.

“I won't say anything,” he said, “because whatever I say will be blown out of proportion. But you [media] can comment on it.”

In terms of comparisons with the All-Ireland final, O’Connor didn’t subscribe to the view of the scars from then leaving their mark.

“This is a new bunch,” he said.

“I suppose every one of them came up, the same as they did last year, came up to do as good as what they could today and it didn't happen for us.

OUTWORKED

“As I said, we were out-worked and we were out-hurled for long periods of it, and still, with 10 minutes to go, we were still in it – the last seven or eight minutes, they really took over.

“I don't care about anything else – it's our supporters who travelled up and the 36 fellas we have below in the dressing room and all the backroom.

“We've been meeting three, four, five nights a week since last September. I'm disappointed for them. A lot of people don't realise the time and effort that goes in – I'm looking at it with my Cork glasses on, it’s the same for every other county.

“There’ll be a lot of fellas who will have all the answers and we'll get that. We’ll get a few letters during the week telling us where we’re all going wrong, we’ll get a few phone calls, a few messages. We'll take that and we'll drive on.”

When it was put to him that it will be a long road to come back from another Croker disappointment, the manager was bullish.

“I'm a glass half-full kind of fella,” O’Connor said, “that's done and dusted.

“We'll be sick about that for the next few days, next couple of weeks, maybe even until Christmas. Once the boys get back going again, that's all forgotten about and we're just driving on.”