Clare v Cork analysis: Bench press vital as footballers nearly paid price for missed goal chances

CORK found themselves in a real hole in the opening round of Group 3 of the All-Ireland group only for Cork substitutes Mark Cronin and Steven Sherlock to score two points each from the 64th minute onwards to escape with a two-point victory.

Cork had looked extremely comfortable going in at half-time with a deserved five-point lead, but Clare managed to get level with a Ciaran Downes score in the 58th minute. Crucially they could not get ahead, as an inspirational fisted score by Tommy Walsh edged Cork ahead again, before Cronin and Sherlock ensured the game went Cork’s way with their accurate shooting late on.

Cork had lost at this venue last year, in what was the Munster quarter-final, by 0-14 to 0-13. Interestingly, of the seven scorers for Clare that day only two of those started on Saturday night, in the form of corner forward Emmet McMahon and centre-back Cillian Rouine, which demonstrated how much this team has changed.

Cork certainly started as if they travelled to Ennis to make a statement, as they kicked the opening three scores from Conor Corbett, Colm O’Callaghan and Brian Hurley, all from play.

We did not see the first contested kick-out until the 12th minute, after Ciaran Downes had opened Clare’s account from a 45-yard free, with Chris Kelly’s loose long delivery being collected by the home side.

Cork were happy to concede the short kick-outs to Stephen Ryan but were confident in disrupting Clare as they advanced up the pitch. In the 17th minute, they managed to turn Clare over twice around midfield and countered to score a quickfire 1-1, that could easily have been two goals. 

By the time the final tallies were counted those turnovers and scores would prove to be the winning and losing of the game.

GLORIOUS

Sean Powter had scored a glorious fisted flick effort with the first of those attacks after Colm O’Callaghan had spotted his decisive run through the middle, while Brian Hurley took a point with the second counter when it briefly looked like another goal was on.

By half time Cork had opened a 1-6 to 0-4 lead, with every single one of Cork’s scores from play, while at the other end, all four of Clare’s scores came from frees; John Cleary’s side looked by far the slicker of the two teams.

It wasn’t all rosy, however, as Brian Hurley did miss an easy-looking free and Cork also had three shots that dropped short in that opening half hour, while four wides were registered. Cork will definitely have felt that their half-time advantage should have been larger.

Daniel Walsh opened Clare’s account from play seconds after the second-half restart, and the corner-forward notched another in the 39th minute after Daniel O’Mahony had gotten wrapped up and turned over. Brian O’Driscoll had rattled the crossbar in between those scores with a fisted effort, as Cork blew a three-on-one, and suddenly Cork looked extremely uncomfortable.

Their commanding lead was down to just one when Aaron Griffin was accredited with a goal in the 43rd minute, although O’Mahony possibly got the final touch. Brian Hurley converted his first free, from three attempts, to give Cork a bit of breathing room.

The game had become much looser in the second half, which theoretically should have suited Cork, but in reality, the home side prospered, as they shook off the shackles and looked far dangerous side as a result.

The pace of Clare wing-back Ikem Ugweru, in particular, caused Cork an awful lot of problems in the second half and Clare looked more threatening when they ran at Cork.

At the same time, it was Cork who created pretty much all the goal-scoring opportunities and Brian O’Driscoll and Mattie Taylor really should have goaled in the second half, which would have made life easier.

Thankfully Cork had the quality of Cronin and Sherlock to bring into the fray, and they ultimately proved the difference late on.