John Horgan on hurling: Don't write Cork off completely against Limerick

IN boxing parlance, Cork hurlers are on the canvas but the count of 10 has not yet been reached.

It’s not going to be easy to recover from the two significant blows that they received from Waterford and Clare but they are still in the fight despite the fact that they are well behind on points.

And to stay in that fight they must now deliver two huge blows of their own to the country’s best team by a long distance, Limerick, and then a Tipperary team that is arguably in a worst position than Cork, even after just one game.

Their hammering by Limerick at the Gaelic Grounds to the tune of 15 points has to be a far bigger concern for their boss Liam Cahill than Cork’s losses are for Pat Ryan. Nobody gave Tipp much of a chance last Sunday but capitulating in the fashion that they did could not have been envisaged by many either.

It’s going to require a massive response this weekend from the Premier against Waterford on Saturday night if they don’t join Cork on zero points from two games.

Of course, the great beauty of Munster hurling is its uncertainty, losing heavily one day and coming out the next day and providing the type of response that in the great hurling homes of Tipperary is now being demanded.

Tipperary and Waterford have the stage to themselves in Munster this weekend, Limerick reflecting on their two wins, Clare on their one and Cork on how they are now going to turn things around against the five-in-a-row-seeking men from Shannonside.

Forget about the final encounter with Tipp in Thurles, that’s of no concern right now, it’s Limerick and only Limerick that matter at this juncture in time.

Cork will now go into that Saturday night week game down the Marina in a completely contrasting position that they were in against Waterford when any few bob that the general public had in their pockets was placed on them during a visit to Paddy Power’s or Boyle Sports.

They were the hottest of favourites before that opening game, now they will be carrying a very large underdog tag against John Kiely’s team.

The pressure to an extent is off them because not too many expect them to qualify for the All-Ireland series, all the more so when it’s Limerick coming out of the opposition dressing room next.

But let’s not write Cork off completely as some are doing and 12 months ago a single point separated the teams in the Gaelic Grounds and it could, quite easily, have gone Cork’s way.

PROBLEM

So that outcome must provide some grain of optimism for the Cork supporters who, to be honest, are growing a bit weary with the growing list of championship losses, some by just the bare minimum.

And that has been a big problem in the more recent past, coming out on the wrong side of close games, sometimes very close.

What has been separating Limerick from all the rest over the years is their ability to win those type of games, being able to find a way despite not being at your best.

Cork teams of yesteryear too were able to win those close games.

Cork were in a great position last Sunday against Clare when they ended the first half on a very positive note, leading by 14 points to 12 and thereafter going seven in front.

The key then was to try and manage that lead, not to quickly hand the initiative back to your opponents and allow them to regain control of the proceedings.

Clare’s response was very admirable but Cork should have been more alert and mentally stronger to stay in control for much longer than they did.

Unlike the loss to Waterford when there was just the one-week turnaround to the Clare game, this time there is a two-week break for Pat Ryan’s team and a time for greater reflection to try and right the wrongs of last Sunday.

There is more time for work on the training ground, maybe an intense A versus B game this weekend which could provide an answer or two regarding the starting 15 for the arrival of Limerick.

ALL CHANGE

In the aftermath of the loss to Waterford the script was torn up to a large extent with six changes for Clare’s visit.

The great likelihood is that there will be changes too for next Saturday week although it’s probable that they'll be kept to the minimum.

Defensively, there will have to be far more awareness and the closing down of space being provided for the opposition must be prioritised. Defensive frailty is costing Cork dear and the gaps being created in that area are being capitalised on too often by the opposition as we witnessed last Sunday.

At the other end of the field three, four very good goal opportunities were not taken, particularly in the first half and those misses proved very costly.

Cork did very well to lead at the interval but their two-point advantage should have been a lot more with those goal chances that were not converted.

Questions were posed why the vast experience of Conor Lehane was not used in the last 15 or 20 minutes, could Jack O’Connor’s pace have made a difference?

Of course, it’s easy to be wise after the event and so much has to be considered when you are naming a team and subsequently, the substitutions to be made.

With the margin for error now very significantly reduced, the team selection and the tactics to be employed for the season-defining collision with Limerick must now be almost spot on.

Cork were far better against Clare than they were against Waterford but the improvement levels must go up another notch or two against Limerick.

The outcome of tomorrow night’s game in Walsh Park will, obviously, have a big bearing on matters and if Tipp can somehow reinvent themselves, unlikely you might say after their drubbing last Sunday, the whole thing will become far more open.

There’s a hell of a lot of hurling still to be played in this championship and one win can change the whole complexion of the competition.

Where the five counties are concerned, Cork are the one left with absolutely no room for error at all Lose to Limerick and the famine of 19 years without an All-Ireland will extend to 20.

The stakes could not be higher.