Cork footballers must address the key issues that cost them in Clare

CORK'S biggest regret from Sunday's disappointing loss in Ennis will be how flat they were from the early stages.

Granted, they led by a couple of points at half-time but they didn't bring championship intensity from the throw-in. Veteran Ruairí Deane had a bit of cutting about him but the likes of Ian Maguire, Matty Taylor and Seán Powter weren't able to, or allowed, impose themselves like they usually do.

Clare had to win to try and make the new Sam Maguire round-robin series and showed serious hunger, especially in the second half. There was a small crowd of less than 4,000 but they were extremely vocal and made a difference coming down the stretch.

Even when Kevin O'Donovan pointed deep into injury time, followed by a Conor Corbett shot that dropped short, they didn't run down the clock. Their reward was a winning point with the last play.

Brian Hurley was a major loss as was Cathail O'Mahony, out of action since the Sigerson Cup final and plagued by injuries, but the Rebels can't be looking for excuses. Whether they get to partake in the Sam Maguire qualifiers or drop to the Tailteann Cup depends on other results now.

A vast improvement will be required to rescue the summer, whoever they face next.

John Cleary's charges were only in front at the break due to a combination of Clare's wastefulness and Steven Sherlock's metronomic free-taking.

Now in that opening 35 minutes Brian O'Driscoll's missed goal chance, which clattered the crossbar, was a major moment but even when Cork clawed their way four points in front on the resumption, they never had a grip on proceedings.

THREAT

The Banner were more potent in attack. While Sherlock added a pair of lovely points from play to his frees, Clare's go-to forwards Keelan Sexton, Eoin Cleary and Emmet McMahon shared 0-8.

Cork's only other scoring forward was Powter and Clare curbed his goal-scoring enthusiasm. Chris Óg Jones rarely got the ball in the danger zone.

The build-up was ponderous and not just because modern football is too congested. 

Cork weren't able to secure enough kick-outs to midfield as sub Darren O'Neill was a disruptive presence. You can't deliver early ball when you have to carry it from well inside your own 45.

It's hard to see any radical changes to the Cork starting 15 by Cleary and his selectors as they favoured consistent line-ups in the league but they could certainly do with getting Hurley and defender Maurice Shanley back. They simply have to strike a balance between a defensive structure, which coach Kevin Walsh came down from Galway to help shape, and an attacking outlet.

Cork hit 14 goals during the league and created multiple openings in every game. But the league isn't the championship, no matter how important the secondary competition is hyped up to be.

And it's championship the Rebels will be judged on.