Cork boss John Cleary: Our efficiency wasn't good enough

Cork manager John Cleary admitted his side’s lack of efficiency in front of goal proved fatal as the Rebels fell to a 0-23 to 0-18 defeat to Mayo in Saturday evening’s All-Ireland SFC quarter-final at Croke Park.

For long stretches the game was finely balanced — the sides were level at half-time — but Cork’s shooting let them down. 

14 wides, several rushed efforts, and a return of just two two-pointers left them chasing a Mayo team who were far more clinical when chances came their way.

Afterwards, Cleary didn’t hide from the numbers or the reasons behind the defeat.

“Frustrating, we had plenty of the ball, but a low conversion rate on our shots,” he said.

“We weren’t good in front of goal today. We didn’t get the scores. Mayo were much more efficient and they got the scores. That’s the reason they got over the line and we didn’t.

“We just scored 18 points, which is not enough to win a quarter-final here on a fine evening. We’d be disappointed about that.” 

Cleary pointed to the two-point scores as a major factor in the outcome. Mayo finished with five, Cork with two. It was fine margins.

“In fairness, Mayo pushed up and they tackled ferociously, for that alone and for their efficiency, they probably deserved to get over the line," the Cork boss says.

"But we would have a lot of regrets on what we left behind us scoring-wise. 18 points won’t get you over the line at this level.

“The two-pointer for Mayo before half-time was particularly hard. We looked like we’d go in two points up and they got an orange flag to level. All those little things add up.” 

From there, Cork’s shot selection began to be rushed. Cleary felt his players forced efforts too early, especially once Mayo opened a small gap.

“We just seemed to pull the trigger a small bit too quick at times. We were trying to chase it maybe too quickly and became frustrated. That was the reason we had a lot of wides. Our execution was just poor today.

“Anytime they went up, they were more efficient than us. It was just one of those days that we couldn’t seem to get on terms.

“We were shooting a bit under pressure and lads got a bit frustrated. The more wides we had, the more pressure came on the lads. It was just one of those days that our efficiency wasn’t good enough.” 

Asked about the season as a whole — one that brought Division 2 promotion and a championship run that restored momentum — Cleary wasn’t ready to take the broader view just yet.

At the end of the day, Cork did win 10 games out of 14 across league and championship.

“I suppose in the days and weeks to come we might be looking at the season in general. I don’t think tonight we’ll be looking at the season until things settle down. We’re just disappointed that we lost today and that’s the only thing on our mind at the moment.

“Give credit to Mayo as well. Their defence was excellent. Their efficiency on the other side was very, very good.” 

Cleary finished by thanking the Cork supporters and stressing the value of playing at Croke Park, even in defeat.

“This is the place to be playing. This is the experience. This is where titles are won and lost. It’s a great place to be but it can also be an unforgiving place to be.

“We’ve been here twice this year. We didn’t get over the line in any of them but hopefully the experience will stand to these lads going forward.

“Hats off to Mayo. The game was there to be won and they won it. I wish them the best of luck going forward.”