Cork football show signs of recovery but big question remains about consistency

Whisper it quietly, but the Cork footballers are showing signs of life once more.

They rocked up to Drogheda on Sunday to face the reigning Leinster champions Louth, who have troubled Cork in recent years, and they batted them aside in relatively comfortable fashion, with even a late Louth goal not being an issue, as Cork still won by five.

If you discount the year Cork spent in Division 3, this is the first time that Cork have won their opening two games of their league campaign since they were in Division 1 back in 2015, which is a crazy statistic.

That means Cork failed to win their two openers eight times in a row in Division 2. No wonder they have not threatened to get back up to Division 1 in the past decade.

The wins over Cavan and Louth means that the table makes for pleasant viewing right now, with Cork at the summit of the table on four points alongside Meath.

The next ties against Offaly, in Tullamore, and Meath, at home, are now really important. If John Cleary’s side can negotiate those games with their unbeaten record still intact, then they will have a serious chance of promotion.

Their last two games are away trips to Tyrone and Derry, so Cork are likely to require a bit of leeway in the table if they are to go up.

Of course, it helps that both Tyrone and Derry, considered by almost everyone as the hottest of favourites to go straight back up to Division 1, have both stuttered at the start of their respective campaigns. Tyrone drew their opener with Kildare before losing to Derry, and while Derry would have enjoyed their win over their Ulster neighbours, they needed the victory after losing their first match against Meath.

Possibly the biggest surprise from Cork’s win over Louth was just how comfortable it all seemed. The Rebels have had some bad results in Ardee in recent campaigns, although the moving of the game to Drogheda meant they played at a ground where they had no negative memories.

BIG QUESTION

Everything is always rosy after a couple wins, but for the first time in about a decade the Cork footballers are starting to look like a competitive unit once more. The big question now is whether the performance levels can be maintained on a consistent basis.

A feature of Cork’s display on Sunday was the fact that so many players are now showing real leadership. A couple of years ago it seemed like it was being left to the likes of Ian Maguire or Brian Hurley to dig Cork out of holes, but now there are players all over the pitch stepping up.

Knocknagree’s Patrick Doyle has given Cork a real edge with his kick-outs, while Colm O’Callaghan has developed into one of the finest midfielders in the country. If Cork can continue to clean up on restarts they are going to be very competitive.

Daniel O’Mahony and Brian O’Driscoll form a very strong spine. 

Luke Fahy and Tommy Walsh looked the part, with both bombing forward to contribute important scores to help Cork exert their dominance.

Chris Óg Jones and Sean McDonnell have become real leaders up top, as has Mark Cronin. The Nemo man does not get the headlines that the likes of Steven Sherlock and Hurley get, but his trusty left foot is crucial to making the Cork attack tick.

Sherlock ended with eight points but left a lot of scores behind too. It is vital he's there to take frees now though, as to reach the top level Cork require a top-class free taker. 

Brian Hurley and the Barrs man started together here. They often play almost as a tag team pair, with one invariably subbing on for the other, but it was nice to see them sharing the pitch together.

Bantry’s Dara Sheedy got another few minutes into the legs when he replaced Cronin in the 58th minute, while Conor Daly and Jacob O’Driscoll, fresh from their Sigerson heroics during the week, both made late cameo appearances. This certainly looks like a great environment to be introducing young players into at present.

This time last year Sean McDonnell, Sean Walsh and Sean Brady were just breaking into the Cork set-up. They already have made huge strides, with McDonnell, with two points, and Walsh, before having to retire with an injury, playing huge parts in Sunday’s victory. 

Hopefully, Cork’s newer players can integrate as successfully as they have.