Cork hurling lessons from Tullamore: Direct game is when Rebels are at their best

IT wasn’t pretty, but it was enough and the performance in Tullamore saw Cork through to the All-Ireland quarter-finals. 

Only a nine-point win in the end, Cork’s performance was far from convincing to say the least. Yes, the two late Offaly goals were nothing more than a consolation, but it certainly made for a much fairer representation of the performances of both counties on the day.

Cork simply weren’t anywhere near their best.

The Faithful were not bad – but Cork did keep them out of reach for most of the game. It was a unique spectacle in that it lacked the championship intensity and was much more reminiscent of a league clash in March.

EXPERIMENTATION

The lineup and approach certainly differed from what we saw through the majority of the Munster Championship – as Cork set up the way they did against Waterford and for the majority of league games.

Conor Lehane returned to his playmaking role that we saw in abundance through the spring – and though he was crowned Man of the Match, whether he will retain his starting spot against Dublin this weekend remains to be seen.

He created 1-2 in the first half and worked hard, but like many of his Cork teammates, he coughed up possession too easily at times and was fortunate that Offaly weren’t clinical.

Ciarán Joyce made his return from injury as a midfielder to join Darragh Fitzgibbon, though he didn’t have as much success as his midfield partner.

Given Joyce’s quality as a player, it’s fair to say rustiness was more likely the consequence of his spell on the sidelines rather than the challenge of playing in midfield. It’s a role he may end up occupying again next week with Ethan Twomey still out and Luke Meade potentially joining him on the injury list.

It’s safe to say it’s been a relatively slow start for Mark Coleman after coming through so many injury issues over the last year and a half, but the Blarney man is getting up to speed, Cork need him to be at his best.

Robbie O’Flynn’s return to action also arrived at the perfect time – and his goal serves as a reminder of just how dangerous he can be. Hopefully, he will get at least 20 minutes against the Dubs this weekend, and who knows, he might be the difference in what will likely be much finer margins.

The conclusion we can draw though is that Cork need to stick with what works. Conor Lehane’s playmaking role worked a treat offensively in the league – but it hasn’t worked in the Championship. That doesn’t lie with the Midleton man, but more so with the game-plan as a whole. 

The possession-heavy approach hasn’t worked for Cork this year – they perform better when playing a much more direct and fast-paced game that gets the best out of these players.

Alan Connolly’s total lack of influence on the game further proves that point.

Cork can beat anyone at their best – but the key is in that. If they’re not at their best, they’ll struggle to dispatch of Dublin.

SPARK

The offensive showings from Patrick Horgan and Shane Barrett was what stood out most from a Cork perspective, with the pair the source of everything dangerous that the Rebels produced. Brian Hayes also impressed and his early goal was a huge boost.

They will be key once again this weekend, and hopefully Cork can be much sharper and more clinical overall. 

With Horgan just 11 points away from breaking the 700-point barrier in total Championship scores, we’ll all be hoping the 36-year-old can get over that final hurdle against Dublin on Saturday.

Patrick Collins’ had one of his best performances of the season, with the Rebels winning 76% of their puck-outs, while the Ballinhassig goalkeeper made several excellent saves, saving Cork from any potential blushes despite the late concession of two goals.

Darragh Fitzgibbon was on form again – key in transition and excellent while striding forward as he has been in every championship outing this year.

SLOPPINESS

Cork’s performance was far too lethargic at times and they gave away a plethora of cheap scores – though I do feel it’s not as much of a problem as it appears at first glance.

Yes, the Rebels can and must do much better – but Offaly have been on fire this year and their strength was as much to do with their quality as it was Cork’s sloppiness.

They will be a headache for the other sides in the Leinster Championship next year, and it’s clear to see from their display at the weekend that they are far superior to the other Joe McDonagh sides.