Compare and contrast the U21 Football set up to the U21 set up in Hurling.The Hurler's played four challenge matches in a 4 week period ,mid March to April(that was fine) ,but then just one game from the 22nd of April up to the 17th of July (Munster Championship v Tippereary)there was no way momentum could be built up ,or a settled team built,or a pattern of play formed.The one game they played was in the start of June against the Cats in Cork and the warning signs were there,Cork 1-10 to Kilkenny 2-13.
But Cork had almost a five week gap in games from then to the opener against Tipp.Is it any wonder,Cork were so much of the pace. Tipp had a challenge match with Kilkenny two weeks before us and beat Kilkenny.
When Tippeary U21 hurlers had Limerick in the 1st round,they went to Carrick on Suir ,and played Waterford in a Challenge aproxiatemely around ten days before their opener.They were fine tuning.Compare there prepartion to Corks and it is world's apart.
Yet the post mortems in Corks defeat seemed full of suprise,as people are baffled ,by what happened,and Cork were very well prepared,according to the management,and the County Board.Now some may say,they made a mistake and got it wrong this year.The fact is,the year was no different.
If there is series of wins or defeats nine times out of ten, they don't just happen cause your luck is either in or out,contary to the myth some have,that it just did not fall for us on the day and these things happen.They happen for a reason.It usually is a symptom of either things being extremely bad or extremely right in a set up.
I posted here before that in 2012 in May before we played Tippereary in the Pairc in U21(another game we lost that we should have won),our lads played Cork intermediates the week before.Lads were playing against lads they knew from the club scence,in a comfort zone.What can you learn from those games is little if anything at all.
In complete contrast Ken Hogan,had Tippearys final warm up game against Kilkenny.Cork in two years,were off the standard.The All Blacks say if it happens once it is an accident,twice it is a trend.
Take the Cork Intermediates Hurlers as an example,with a far less talented panel,there preparation was much better this year.They knew Clare, the Munster Finalists the year before , would be tough(had already played them in Chareville in a challenge at the start of the summer,it was a close game),so they played Kilkenny in a challenge match in Cork two weeks before (a strong kilkenny team beaten All Ireland Finalists the last two years)and beat them by0-17 to 0-12.
Cork blew Clare away ,and were very unlucky to loose to Tipperary(All Ireland Champions)the last two years by a point ,in Thurles on a lovely warm friday eveining with a good few of the lads that were shell shocked by events with the U21 team just two nights before.
You could not have faulted Liam Hayes or he's set up,in that they prepared them as best they could.Thats what good management teams do,they prepare well.The other side of the coin is Fail to Prepare ,Prepare to Fail.The U21 Hurling teams failed drastically.That may seem harsh but there is in truth no other way to kindy phrase that performance.
The U21 Footballers this year have a good set up with a blend of expierence and lads making there debut at the grade.There is the makings of a solid spine in most key aeras of the team.There is a lovely balance of strength,athleticsim,pace,natural footballers and scoring forwards throughout the team.The management team ,having being picked early in time (credit the county board for doing that with this set up)were at and have taken in a lot of club games in the County.
Dan MacEoin,Conor Dorman,Cathal Vaughan,(with CIT ,tommorrow in the Mcgrath Cup)Mark Sugrue ,Kevin Crowley, (Ian Maguire,,Brian O Driscoll,Sean Kiely playing for UCC Sunday in the Mcgrath cup against UL), and Alan Cadogan have been with the panel last year and are certain barring injury to be starting this year.
Michael Cahalane,Killan O'Connor( involved with the Senior's Sunday),Aidan Moyinhan,Kevin Fulgnati,Stephen Cronin,Jack Bushe ,John Corkery are all fine players.The panel started with around 35 aprox,at around October with trials and all is meant to be going well.From now on til March ,training is bound to be intensifed,and a lot of challenges to take place over the next few weeks.
Looking at the panel available ,Corks main concern may be Full back,just as it was last year.Cahalane had done as good a job as he could,but Varley exposed him in the final.Cleary could not be faulted for that,as in truth he had no other option for full back.
Conor Dorman and Brian O Driscoll ,showed last year they are not full or corner backs,they are superb half backs or options at midfield.Dorman was super at half back at senior for Bishoptown this year.It will be interesting to see what the final panel will be,and who is no 3.
It is not beyond the bounds of reality,that one of our best prepared football teams go out in the 1st round,and yet ,the minors could ,as they got a kind draw and have the backdoor ,and make an All Ireland quater final.
The Minors have talent but Donal O Sullivan ,been a selector for years on teams that failed, and should not have got this job,and he's methods are outdated and Jack O'Connor I fear would have the Cork team outhought before a ball is even kicked should they meet.
The one positive is Dorgan from Ballincollig is trainer ,but again how much input will he have.It is not much good if we have a team trained superbly,but the wrong team or players are played out of position as like with the minors hurlers who had a good trainer Frank Flannery ,last year,but the manager picked the wrong team.He done great with Beara in 97,I think it was.This is 2014 though.
Donal O'Sullivan,has been a great servant to Beara and Castletownbere and football runs through he's veins but that should not mean he is the minor manager.I can never understand these appointments,a guy does great 13 years ago ,and yet given a crucial job.
Kerry have taken a step forward with Jack, got rid of Mickey Ned O'Sullivan despite he's life long service to Kerry was by many in kerry deemed old school, .Jack is still coaching at schools,and very much aware of the talent around.James Mccarthy from Castlehaven would have been ideal,involved in schools coaching also.Very much a modern day manager,and would have been a great manager with the minors.
The Cork Juniors ,understandably having to field a new team may not be as strong this year ,they done everything they were asked of last year,credit due,and gave several potential seniors a stage in which they could showcase there talents.
The U21 football team have talented players,a history and a winning culture from the last ten years,complimented by a good coaching set up ,so I think they would be the strongest of all our teams,even though we have the hardest task of all,considering ,we have Kerry away in the 1st game,with no comfort of the backdoor.