Cork footballers could be contenders if they can match consistency shown by Derry

THE Cork footballers might have some way to go before they are realistic All-Ireland contenders once more, but it is difficult to escape the feeling that they are slowly heading in the right direction.

Cork should be looking to match the feats of Derry this year, as in the past couple of seasons the Ulster champions have been ultra-competitive and consistent in the league, which has seen them becoming a leading player in the championship for the first time in decades.

They went undefeated in the actual league phase of Division 2 last year to earn promotion back to Division 1, after failing to get promoted the year before despite losing only one game.

That is the level of consistency that John Cleary’s side must aspire to, as it tends to translate directly into championship form after, as Derry have shown with their appearances in the last two All-Ireland semi-finals. They will undoubtedly be looking to go a step further in 2024 with the aid of a campaign of Division 1 football behind them.

Another team looking to ‘do a Derry’ are near neighbours Donegal, who happen to be Cork’s first league opponents on the 28th of January up in Ballybofey. With Jim McGuinness back at the helm big things are expected from them, and they will be throwing everything they have at Cork in that Round 1 fixture.

This is why it was such a positive to see Cork in such good form in their opening McGrath Cup tie against Clare in Clarecastle last Wednesday, when they won pulling up on a scoreline of 2-14 to 0-8.

That this was achieved without the Castlehaven contingent and the likes of Dan Ó Duinnin, Daniel O’Mahony, Steven Sherlock, Sean Powter, Kevin O’Donovan, Killian O’Hanlon and Cathail O’Mahony speaks volumes for where Cork football is currently heading.

No one is going to be predicting All-Ireland success here, but it does show that fingers crossed, the Cork panel is the healthiest it has been for some time, and if key players can get on the pitch week in, week out, then there is no reason why Cork cannot move up the pecking order this year.

The key to becoming a genuine contender for All-Ireland honours is for the big names in the team to play at All-Star standard and for lesser-known names to really put their hands up for places and push current starters for their starting berths. With the latter in mind the win over Clare was a resounding success.

Darragh Cashman got his chance at wing back and took it with both hands, with the Millstreet man landing two fine scores from play in the 51 minutes he was on the pitch. Cashman was on the Cork minor team that famously won the All-Ireland minor title against Galway in 2019 – indeed, he kicked two points from wing-back that day too. 

From that team, only Conor Corbett has stepped up to the senior grade for Cork in the four years since, so it is good to see another young footballer emerge.

Knocknagree’s Padraig Doyle got a run out in goals, and he will be looking to put pressure on Micheál Aodh Martin for the starting jersey this year. Keeping a clean sheet and restricting a side of the quality of Clare to just three points from play over the course of the game bodes well for the year ahead from a defensive viewpoint.

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Up front we had Nemo Rangers’ Mark Cronin coming off the pine in the 48th minute to land an impressive tally of 1-3 late on. Corbett, who played the entire game, scored 1-2. Chris Óg Jones played the second half and scored two points, to add to the three points he scored against Meath in the Teddy McCarthy tribute match last month. 

Blake Murphy had scored 1-5 in that game, and added one further point here, as he attempts to nail down a squad berth for 2024, while Newcestown’s David Buckley failed to score but got a vital run out also.

To progress, Cork need more scoring power throughout the side, so the more viable options up front, the merrier. Sunday’s fixture against Waterford should give plenty more a chance to impress the selectors.