Christy O'Connor: Cork hurlers' form isn't as good as last year and big guns aren't firing as well

When Anthony Daly was making his way out of the Gaelic Grounds after the league final two weeks ago, he got into a light-hearted conversation with a Limerick supporter about that afternoon’s two matches.

In reference to Clare’s victory in the Division 1B final curtain-raiser, the Limerick supporter congratulated Daly on winning ‘the shield’. Daly replied that Clare were at least happy going home and that they could now look forward to the championship. “The shadow boxing is over,” said Daly.

It certainly was. It had to be two weeks out from the championship. Limerick were right on point and got the job done. Clare played well in the first half but only for sporadic bursts in the second half. Dublin only took flight in the second half. Cork?

“It was hard to know what they were at,” Daly wrote in his Irish Examiner column the following day. “Shadow boxing? Their supporters will hope that’s what it was.

“Limerick wanted a national league title. Cork didn’t look like they were too bothered, that they’d take it if it was going, but if the going got too tough, they could leave it.” 

Cork certainly looked like a team that could have taken or left a league title. And when Limerick dialled up the heat, Cork just let it off that afternoon.

So was that shadow boxing? There were shades of that in the sides’ regular round meeting a few weeks earlier in the Gaelic Grounds when Cork clearly changed their puck-out strategy in the second half by consistently going long.

Cork had done well on their own restart in the opening half, winning 75%. There was no apparent need to shake it up but Ben O’Connor appeared willing to gamble by not wanting to give Limerick any insight into what they might do in the championship.

MIND GAMES

The team Cork that Cork picked for the league final – along with some of their match-ups - did hint at more mind games. Cork surely know by now that some of those match-ups – Seán O’Donoghue on Aaron Gillane, and Rob Downey on Gearóid Hegarty – usually don’t work. But Cork went ahead with them anyway.

So was that, whatever you want to call it, mind games/shadow boxing? Having convincingly won the league final last year, Cork were lucky to scrape a draw against Clare in their opening championship match. So were Cork keeping their powder dry so that they can explode for the opening seven days of the championship against Tipperary, and then Limerick?

Possibly. Or the other side of that argument is that Cork were not shadow boxing and that they’re just where they are – and not where they need to be.

That’s a difficult assessment to make when Cork haven’t played a championship match. 

At face value, their numbers appear to be as good, if not better, than last year’s league.

Still, there is devil in the detail of the data. Cork hit 15 goals in five league games last year against Tipperary (twice), Clare, Galway and Limerick. In five games against similar opposition this year – Limerick (twice), Galway, Tipperary and Kilkenny, Cork hit just six goals. And half of those came against Kilkenny.

Cork aren’t scoring goals as fluently or consistently as they were last year. They only created one goalscoring chance in the league final – a late shot from Robbie O’Flynn that went wide.

Last spring, Cork were concussing teams with goal bursts. That did carry into their first two championship matches against Clare and Tipp, but Cork haven’t shown that blitzkrieg form this spring where they were effectively killing games in minutes.

Cork’s overall form is not as good. A lot of players, especially their big guns, are not firing anywhere near as well as they were this time last year.

Then again, the championship is the place to turn it on – not the league. Ben O’Connor said after the final that Cork got everything they wanted out of the competition – except the trophy.

The hype certainly isn’t as giddy or out of control as it was this time last year. The shock of the All-Ireland final defeat has made supporters more realistic, but it also made the players and management realise that they needed something different.

BLUNT ATTACK

Cork didn’t need a league title this year like the team needed it last year, but the All-Ireland final still has to have drained a certain degree of confidence from the group. 

O’Connor and his management have tried to replenish those stocks with a more serrated edge but has physically trying to engage teams more blunted Cork’s attacking edge? 

They certainly aren’t moving the ball as fast as they were last year. So are the team holding back? Or have Cork gone back?

Alan Connolly said during the week that when “we’re at our best, I don’t think anyone can beat us”. That’s a fair point but Cork need to be at their best now within the space of seven days to make sure they can get out of Munster – never mind win the All-Ireland.

Tipp on Sunday is an ideal first match for Cork. As well as having the motivation from last July, Cork love playing in Thurles. Tipp are All-Ireland champions but they’re nowhere near where Limerick were in their pomp when Cork met the All-Ireland champions in their opening game in the 2021 and 2022 Munster championships.

Cork will fancy their chances on Sunday but they need to win, or at least draw. Because if they don’t, the whole narrative around Cork in this championship could radically flip on its head.