Who shared it and who shouldered it – Cork’s football scoring spread analysed

Earlier in the week, we looked at the scoring habits of the 37 hurling teams across the top three grades, weighing up whether a wide spread or a singular marksman wins out. Now it’s football’s turn, all 36 plus Duhallow, and the picture is just as textured.

Over-reliance is often framed as a flaw – one injury away from collapse, the argument goes – yet some clubs thrive on the certainty of a go-to finisher. Others scatter the load with almost ideological commitment.

The metric is simple: what percentage of a team’s total championship scores came from their top scorer? Rank them 1-37. One means the most even spread; 37 the heaviest burden carried by a single man.

The best place to start is Éire Óg. The Ovens outfit made a point of avoiding over-reliance on one individual player this year, and the numbers prove it. Darragh Clifford finished the year as their top scorer, with 10 points. Yet five teammates sat just one point behind.

Clifford accounted for only 11.76% of the Ovens side’s total, the most democratic scoring spread in the county across both codes. One in ten, give or take. Balance in its purest form.

At the other end of the spectrum, Newcestown’s David Buckley was landing scores at a rate of over one in two. His 51.11% contribution was the highest of any football club.

And, like in hurling, there’s a champion that have not been shy about relying on their talisman. Or perhaps it’s more accurate to say that said talisman just made a point of getting all the scores.

Steven Sherlock carried 48.36% of the Barrs’ tally on the way to the county title, ranking them 36th. Aghabullogue weren’t afraid to funnel their PIFC scoring through Luke Casey either, his haul making up a third of their total and putting them 23rd. Beaten PSFC finalists Nemo spread slightly wider, though Mark Cronin still accounted for a healthy 36.90%.

For Uibh Laoire, Chris Óg Jones scored 42.24% of their total – ranking them 32nd, which means that the only real emphasis on distribution from finalists came from the Senior A winners and runner-up.

Knocknagree and Cill na Martra, ranked at eighth and ninth respectively, are separated by less than half a percent.

Anthony O’Connor, overall top scorer at the grade, made up a 25.18% share of Knocknagree’s total, showing just how much their threat extends beyond the primary scorer. Jason Mac Cárthaigh took on slightly more of Cill na Martra’s work at 25.51%, but still shares the same sentiment, simmering narrowly above a strike rate of one in four.

So what wins out, reliance or sharing? Same answer as hurling, there is no definitive rule. It’s somewhere in the middle, and very circumstantial.

Hurling finalists leaned towards spreading it, football finalists leaned into their leading man. Two teams, Mallow and Douglas, even finished the season with joint top scorers.

Full ranking, ordered from most shared scoring to most reliant on one player:

1 Éire Óg – Darragh Clifford 11.76% 

2 Mallow – Seán McDonnell/Kevin Sheehan 16.67% each 

3 Dohenys – Fionn Herlihy 18.37% 

4 Aghada – Jamie O’Hanlon 21.25% 

5 Carrigaline – Niall Coakley 23.88% 

6 Ballincollig – Cian Dorgan 24.00% 

7 Newmarket – Hugh O’Connor 24.49% 

8 Knocknagree – Anthony O’Connor 25.18% 

9 Cill na Martra – Jason Mac Cárthaigh 25.51% 

10 Kilshannig – Éanna O’Hanlon 25.53% 

11 Castlehaven – Brian Hurley 26.03% 

12 Bandon – Michael Cahalane 26.87% 

13 Glanmire – Daniel Molden 26.92% 

14 Castletownbere – Fintan Finner 27.03% 

15 Carbery Rangers – John O’Rourke 27.59% 

16 Bishopstown – Conor Dunne 27.94% 

17 Douglas – Conor Russell/Shane Kingston 28.57% each 

18 Fermoy – David Lardner 29.09% 

19 Naomh Abán – Ed Ó Mir 29.17% 

20 Clonakilty – Conor Daly 29.41% 

21 Béal Átha'n Ghaorthaidh – Diarmuid Mac Thomáis 31.82% 

22 Kanturk – Grantas Bucinskas 33.33% 

23 Aghabullogue – Luke Casey 33.33% 

24 Nemo Rangers Int – Jack Coogan 33.33% 

25 O’Donovan Rossa – Kevin Davis 33.33% 

26 Valley Rovers – Fiachra Lynch 36.25% 

27 Nemo Rangers – Mark Cronin 36.90% 

28 Rockchapel – Jack Curtin 37.78% 

29 Duhallow – Luke Murphy 38.57% 

30 Kiskeam – Seán O’Sullivan 39.13% 

31 St Michael’s – Luke O’Herlihy 41.94% 

32 Uibh Laoire – Chris Óg Jones 42.24% 

33 Bantry Blues – Arthur Coakley 43.14% 

34 Clyda Rovers – Conor Corbett 44.23% 

35 Macroom – Pa Lucey 45.33% 

36 St Finbarr’s – Steven Sherlock 48.36% 

37 Newcestown – David Buckley 51.11%