Ger Manley: 'We've to change it around now during the week and the players just have to drive it'

Cork and Tipperary ended all square in their Centra Camogie Division 1A league clash at Páirc Uí Rinn on Saturday.

A late point from Tipp’s Clodagh McIntyre saw the visitors come from eight points down at half-time to end level, 2-6 to 1-11.

Cork were well in control at the break as they led by 2-6 to 0-4, but the wind was a major factor in this tie and Tipp turned to play with it after the break.

The Rebels looked like they were going to hold out for the win, thanks to some resolute defending, but that injury-tie point secured the draw for the visitors.

Afterwards Cork manager, Ger Manley, was happy with the start but not so much the finish.

“We had a good start, we said that needed a good start, and we felt that their full-back line was there to be taken,” said Manley.

“I thought we got a couple of goal chances, took them, and probably should have been another four or five points up at half-time.

“Unfortunately, we weren't up enough really because the wind was very strong and look the pitch wasn't great and I could say all that, but Tipp came back and look I think we were lucky in the end to get a draw.”

Credit to Tipp who upped the physically and pushed higher up the pitch and now Cork did resist for most of the half. But the concession of the goal early in the first second-half set Cork back a small bit, at a point then they were struggling for scores.

“Yeah it was a poor goal to give away and poor defending and that brought them back into the game and then we struggled for a bit,” added Manley.

“We didn't get scores we should have, we missed a couple of chances but the wind was strong but we should have taken our scores.

“Tipp in all fairness had the momentum and look, we're happy with the point in the end, because look give Tipp they were by far the better team in the second half.

“We're after a hard three or four weeks training and we trained hard again this week. 

Maybe we did too much, but we need to work them a bit. There’s lots of new players there and we need to get their fitness levels up and get time into them.

“We had a few players back as well today, and you know the legs probably ran out a bit in the second half, but we had to get game time into them.

“We were in relegation trouble after the first two matches, then we had a great win over Kilkenny who were top of the league with Waterford and went up there and beat them.

DRIVE ON

“That was a good performance, and the first half was probably up at that level, second half wasn't. We spoke to them afterwards to say that it wasn’t good enough.

“We know that as management that we have to change it around now during the week and the players just have to drive it, like the senior players, but we did some very poor things defensively and technically, and that's just disappointing.”