Linda Mellerick on camogie: Cork left with huge doubts after another stinging loss at Croke Park

AS the dust settles on another defeat in a final, Cork’s management and panel will have a job on their hands to turn things around before the knockout stages of this year's championship in mid-July.

Cork will reach the knockout stages: That’s a given. Whether it’s a quarter-final or semi-final is to be determined.

Cork had positives from this game: 10 wides to Galway’s five, and four goal chances, with one taken. But this is also a negative and where the players need to take responsibility. The openings were there, so the build-up was good. 

Some of the wides were unforgivable. We had two poor wides, between the 43th and 44th minutes, which would have put Cork three up. Galway then got their second goal and, suddenly, Cork were two down and never regained parity.

Then, on 54 minutes, with the game at 2-11 to 1-12, another wide; and on 58 minutes, a wide ball from a free followed by a missed goal opportunity. But it was Galway who scored again to give them their fourth advantage point and, effectively, the game.

Cork were the form team coming into this final. When Galway defeated Cork in the Páirc four weeks ago to snatch the final spot from Tipperary, we didn’t worry too much.

Galway, like Cork, have injuries and were without key players and, already qualified, Cork gave their panel members a run. We were coming into the final with a better team ‘on paper’.

But, in hindsight, that was a mistake. Had Cork beaten Galway, they would have faced Tipperary in the final. 

They would have beaten Tipp, of that I’m sure, and it would have been a league medal, important silverware, and a first win since 2018 in HQ.

We can’t underestimate the shift in mindset had that happened for Cork compared to our position now.

Cork psychologist Michelle O’Connor will be worth her weight in gold if she can swing the pendulum Cork’s way again.

It’s the second final in a row against Galway in which we failed to deliver a second-half performance despite being in the lead. Galway took all bar one of their second-half chances. When you look at the players Galway have lost, in addition to their injuries, it makes their league final win all the more impressive.

They had eight starters from their 2021 All-Ireland victory. Three of their starters were subs in last year’s semi-final defeat and they had good games.

I was at the intermediate division 1B final on Saturday in Clonmel, where, similar to Sunday, we just didn’t get a return up front. Both sides are better than that.

PET HATES

Cork’s distribution on Saturday was miserable, whether by hand or by stick. I have two pet hates: One where a goalkeeper’s short puck-outs fail to reach the player and they waste valuable seconds retrieving it; and, two, where a player attempts to control the sliotar with the hurley when there is no need.

All players have two hands. If a ball is delivered to you within an arm’s reach, whether high, low, to the side or your middle, then you catch it. When a ball is delivered into a player’s stomach area and they bat it away, my blood pressure shoots up.

Actually, I’ve a third gripe: The one-handed pick-up that rarely comes off and the opportunity is lost.

I’ve watched a number of Cork’s intermediate games and in every one it’s their distribution that lets them down.

The one forward who I thought had something to offer was Fiona Nelligan and she was substituted. She’s small and slight, but has speed, a good touch, strike, and a massive work-rate. In the very tight pitch that was Clonmel Commercials, a player of that stature shouldn’t be left inside where the battle was going to come down to strength.

She might have caused problems had she been brought out onto the 40, where her roaming style could have got Cork motoring.

It was worth a shot anyway. The Ragg is another squeezed pitch, and the replay is there today at 2pm.