'No pressure on Cork' — Derek Kavanagh says performance matters most against Donegal

Former Cork footballer Derek Kavanagh knows better than most what it takes to go north and get a result.

He played in some of the toughest venues in the country during his own career, and as Cork prepare for the trip to Ballybofey to face Donegal in the All-Ireland SFC Round 2A game this Saturday (3pm), he says the biggest thing is simple, performance, not pressure.

Cork are underdogs and Donegal are flying. But Kavanagh believes the Rebels are moving in the right direction and must keep their confidence intact no matter what happens this weekend.

The Rebels will fly on a 50‑seater plane to Ballybofey via Derry on Saturday morning, returning to Cork on Saturday night, as revealed on The Echo Sport Podcast on Monday morning.

When the draw came out, the 2010 All-Ireland winner admits his first reaction was the same as most Cork supporters.

“Donegal coming out first, you’re like, ‘Oh God.’ You’d be hoping to skip that one,” he said.

“They’re the form team in Ireland at the moment. It’s pretty daunting to have to go up there. They’re showing they’re the best team in the country so far.

“For Cork, there was great energy against Meath last time out. You could feel it. The celebrations after the game were lovely. I was on the pitch with my kids afterwards. I was hoping for another day in Páirc Uí Rinn.

“It’s just a pity that they have to have the long journey up the country."

The bigger issue, Kavanagh says, is the impact on Cork support.

“The five- or six-hour trip will definitely turn a lot of supporters off. That’s the biggest thing. You’re taking away maybe five or six thousand Cork people who would have been there at home.

“You could sense the crowd pushing the team over the line in the home games this year. The players were pumping the crowd at the final whistle against Meath. It was unreal. That won’t be there in the same way in Ballybofey. Home games are absolutely crucial these days.” 

Cork’s progress this year has been steady. Promotion to Division 1 secured, performances have improved, and confidence has grown.

But Kavanagh is realistic about where Cork stand compared to the top teams.

“If Cork played Donegal five times, Donegal win four — same with Kerry, Galway and Armagh. Those teams are ahead of Cork,” he states.

“But look, strange things happen. Cork are on a good trajectory. If they keep going, they will upset a big team at some stage.

“There’s no pressure on them at the weekend. Everyone is writing them off. That can be a good thing.

“Everyone is writing off Cork. With all of the mental conditioning and sports psychology that goes on, you kind of like to think that players become immune to all the talk. It does seep in, it always seeps in, because every player is exposed to it at work and college and things like that, where all these things are seeping in.” 

The most important thing, Kavanagh says, is that Cork come home with their confidence intact. It is, at the end of the day, not a knockout game. The winner advances to the quarter-final stage, the loser goes to Round 3, which will take place Saturday or Sunday week — a quick turnaround.

“The last thing Cork want is to be well beaten and then have to play again the following weekend. Cork were very good in the first half in the Munster final. Then Kerry went up a gear and blew them away. That can be damaging, but Cork responded well afterwards in the Meath game.

“If they give a solid performance against Donegal, something they can be proud of, that’s huge. If they discover something about themselves, even in defeat, that matters.

“Everyone knows the difference between being beaten and being embarrassed. I’ve been there. You don’t want that second feeling."