Cork GAA Talking points: Double defeat leaves footballers in big trouble

FOR Pat Ryan’s Cork side, the defeat to Clare on Sunday was disappointing, and the slow start in the second half came back to bite Cork when Séadna Morey dealt the crucial blow, goaling in the 65th minute.

Cork hit 11 wides to the Banner’s seven, and despite two excellent goals from Tommy O’Connell and Patrick Horgan, the concession of too many frees put them on the back foot for the entire game.

While not exactly an outstanding display, there were certainly positives to take from Ennis.

INDIVIDUAL QUALITY 

Horgan’s goal was well taken, and he added to that with some decent scores. The attacking threat from Robbie O’Flynn and Shane Kingston also bodes well, with both players likely to be key forwards in the summer once more.

The half-back line impressed, with Ciaran Joyce the standout at number 6. His pace and strength when powering forward and into the midfield areas put Clare under pressure at times. A particularly impressive run from midfield saw the Castlemartyr man win a free just over 20 metres out from goal.

Tommy O’Connell looked confident and composed throughout, and that goal in the 28th minute was outstanding. A powerful strike with class, and he made it look easy.

Cormac O’Brien was impactful, and his performance was a step up on his limited minutes in the league last year. Likewise, Shane Barrett was impressive when introduced and managed two scores after coming on as a substitute in the 55th minute.

The Blarney man has steadily improved, and Micheál Mullins didn’t look too out of place with his cameo either.

WHAT WE CAN EXPECT 

There are so many great young prospects in this team all at different stages of development, and this league campaign is the perfect opportunity for them to continue their growth and see where they’re at in a few months.

Some will receive more opportunities than others, but they’ve all got the potential to cement themselves as regular starters in the coming years – that’s why they’re on Ryan’s league panel.

With key starters Seamus Harnedy, Darragh Fitzgibbon, Mark Coleman and Damien Cahalane all still absent with injury, there are places in the team up for grabs, and I’m sure we’ll see many of the current league panel relish those opportunities.

Cathal McCarthy will probably get a chance at some stage, while Brion Saunderson is likely to get an opportunity or two between the posts before the end of the league.

Ethan Twomey could also feature in a few games, especially given how much he benefitted from last season’s league. The 2024 campaign is also a great opportunity for O’Connell and Barrett to get even better.

CRASH AND BURN?

For Cleary’s footballers, it was another tough defeat, though with this one they could at least hold their heads high to some degree, after putting in a much-improved display of football.

Losing to Louth as they did last season now means that Cork are one defeat short from equalling the number of defeats suffered in last season’s football league after just three rounds.

Last year, they lost to Dublin, Louth, and Meath. While they probably should have done better against the latter, beating Kildare, and drawing against Derry more than made up for it.

Things have gone from promising to bleak after just two games of football, but if Cork can beat Kildare again this season and snatch a draw with Armagh in the Páirc three weeks later and end up fourth once again – it won’t look like much of a crisis heading into the Munster Championship.

But is this Cork team crumbling? Or are they just not as good as their McGrath Cup form suggested?

It’s a question that will divide Cork fans, the answer may even be a bit of both. I would argue this team just isn’t good enough to get promoted.

There are certainly some positives to take from the opening two games – Chris Óg Jones and Eoghan McSweeney have kept up their scoring form.

The midfield partnership of Ian Maguire and Colm O’Callaghan has been very reliable for the past few seasons, and Patrick Doyle has had a very positive start to the season in goal.

Given how well Louth played away to Armagh, a two-point defeat is not the worst result in the world.

Still, it’s hard not to feel that something is significantly absent from this Cork side. The forwards as a group need to be more clinical.

As a team, Cork simply can’t convert enough of the chances they create. They lack conviction and have made some sloppy errors, and letting it slip against the Wee County late on doesn’t help.

If it can’t be eradicated, another season of mediocrity is certain this summer.