Three areas where the Cork hurlers must improve to beat Dublin

THE Cork hurlers are one game away from an All-Ireland semi-final and will face Dublin this Saturday after their thrilling victory over Clare.

Waterford meet Tipperary in the other quarter-final after Monday's draw, with Kilkenny and Limerick already into the last four. 

The quarter-finals this Saturday will take place at lunchtime and 7pm, with the main game in the evening on Sky Sports. Full details of the venues and times will be revealed on Monday afternoon.

The semi-final pairings will depend on how the quarter-finals go:

If Tipp/Cork, then it's Limerick v Cork, KK v Tipp

If Waterford/Cork, Limerick v Waterford, KK v Cork

If Waterford/Dublin, Limerick v Dublin, KK v Waterford

If Tipp/Dublin, Limerick v Dublin, KK v Tipp

— EchoLive.ie (@echolivecork) July 26, 2021

Here we look at three areas where Cork need to improve after the rollercoaster 3-19 to 1-23 victory over the Banner.

1. BETTER CONCENTRATION:

After Jack O'Connor struck for the first goal last Saturday, Cork only trailed once, courtesy of a Diarmuid Ryan point in the 57th minute, before Alan Connolly levelled soon after. 

Yet if it wasn't for Patrick Collins' brilliant stop at the death from Tony Kelly, Cork would have been knocked out at the Gaelic Grounds. Given they were six points ahead entering injury time, that shows Kieran Kingston's side need to be more focused until the final whistle. 

What a Save at the End by Patrick Collins pic.twitter.com/D7ql0s3sOQ

— Buff Egan (@buff_egan) July 24, 2021

It didn't help that O'Connor was dismissed after Shane Barrett rattled in the third goal but Cork left too much space around the full-back line in the closing stages. Kelly was one-on-one under a high delivery for the penalty that saw Niall O'Leary also red-carded.

And the sliotar should have been cleared before Aidan McCarthy fed Kelly for his late drive. They might not get the same breaks this Saturday.

2. BETTER SHOOTING: 

The Rebels' goal rush, raising three green flags and creating four more clear-cut chances, was the difference in lowering the Banner.

However, Cork struggled to create quality point-scoring opportunities and Clare had five more wides over the 70-odds, in addition to outpointing them 23-19. 

At the weekend, Cork could find it harder to get goals. Certainly, there won't be as much room allowed around the D as Clare offered up in the first half. Dublin will flood bodies back.

Seamus Harnedy was the Sky Sports Man of the Match and had a seismic impact in the period where Cork regained the momentum from Clare, winning two puck-outs, setting up Barrett's goal, pointing and getting fouled for a free. However, he had four wides from five attempts, and was hooked when through on goal; Robbie O'Flynn managed a point and Shane Kingston clipped a point to go with his goal. 

The Rebels need a greater return from their starting half-forwards, both in terms of ball-winning and scoring, to move onto the All-Ireland semi-finals.   

3. START SHANE BARRETT OR ALAN CONNOLLY:

The influence of the two Cork U20 forwards last weekend can't be underestimated. Barrett chipped in with 1-1 and had another goal chance turned out for a 65 and Connolly scored under a dropping ball and also assisted Patrick Horgan for a point. 

The dynamic duo didn't have a huge amount of possession but they threatened every time they had the ball in hand.

The temptation for the Cork management will be to stick with what worked against Clare, but given Alan Cadogan had a quiet first half, and was taken off at the break having shipped a knock, there's a place up for grabs.

They could revert to Conor Cahalane as a workhorse, given he impressed on his introduction on Saturday, but the bolder call would be to call on one of the rookies.