Cork Hurlers - Part 2

[red&blue]

Realistically if we were set up for the AI final v Limerick as well as we have been set up for the last 2 games it would have been a respectable result - we wouldn’t have beaten them but we would have been respectable. We set up for that game in a way you wouldn’t set up an U10 team and we got hammered as well as exposing our full back line to potentially career ending humiliation in a national final. The three players from that full back line are still there lads and still going strong and we have added a few more young players to the mix so we are in a better place than we were last year but the judgement only starts now and if we fail to progress further as a team then this management will still have underachieved in my view because it will have taken them too long to do some things many posters on here have been saying for a long time. I sincerely hope ai am still praising them by the end of the season

last years all ireland final was embarrassing, not for the pummelling we got but like you said for the naive way we were set up.
To be fair the selectors looked to bring more stability to the defence during this years league but they were doing it with one hand tied behind their backs with Mark at 6.
Finally after being badly exposed by Waterford in the league final and Limerick and Clare in the championship they bit the bullet and set up properly with Joyce at 6 and got rid of the tippy tappy shit.
Suddenly our players grew in stature and we have seen 2 top class performances against Waterford and Tipperary.
The final piece of the jigsaw will be placing Tim at 14 from the start and getting fast direct ball into himself and Connolly.
Then we will trouble any team in ireland once we match the workrate and desire we have shown in the last 2 matches
I’m excited by what I’ve seen in the last 2 games but it still amazes me how it took us so long to get there

 

[Barry K O Bama]

Limerick obviously, are the real deal. Fair play to JP, he has the wealth to engage in fantasy hurling and when Limerick's underage structure produced an exceptionally talented group, JP has applied the financial muscle to effectively prepare Limerick to a professional level.

You have to hand it to Clare - they realised that to challenge Limerick, you need manic intensity allied to natural talent. Clare now have achieved this and whilst many of us felt that Waterford would be the challengers - Clare surprised everybody.

At least, we are in the chasing pack now - Hard to look beyond Limerick & Clare for AI winners but KK, Galway & Cork are all focused on closing the gap - You'd hope now that we've got the intensity levels up, our underage success will allow us join the top table soon.

 

[red&blue]

Jeez this ignore lark is brilliant

 

[TheOutdoorThreadmill]

Lads lots of posts with opinions on Corks tactical changes and who was responsible so here is mine -

1. selecting a natural No 6 in that key position was a huge change
2. selecting a defensive midfielder who works hard and links play like Meade was huge change
3. letting Coleman and Fitzgibbon have the freedom to play their natural game was significant
4. Selecting a player like Connolly who can win dirty ball and score goals was significant
5. Mixing up the long and the short game was a huge change
6. increased work rate of the players was a massive change

I would have been very critical of management myself as #1,2,3,4,5 above should all have been done during the league as the AI final hammering last year should have been enough in itself to prove that these steps were needed. Eventually management got it right but I am hearing from good sources exactly the same as what R&B has been saying ie the players asked for a meeting to discuss setup and tactics after the Clare game. Management were big enough to take some stuff on board and the players responded with two very good performances.

I think we need to give credit to both management and players for working their way through this. Could it have been done earlier ? it certainly could but better late than never and we are in a better place now and can kick on from there.

The key game to judge all of this on was v Waterford and Cork delivered - last Sunday was no real indicator as Waterford were a beaten docket before Clare game as they knew full well Tipp weren’t going to take out Cork and give them a lifeline

Time to stop the silly bickering lads - we are now on to the next stage and let’s give credit where it is due as this turnaround would not be possible without initially some grown up discussion between players and management and then some better management decision-making. We have still won nothing.

Corcaigh Abu

Great post and spot on.

 

[conchuir]

Apologies if theres a separate thread for this stuff but a break from the usual. I'm up in Montenotte at a wedding horsing into pints and the old doll is cleaning out the old office in the gaff. Sends me the attached "do you want to keep this?"... My old man collects old programmes. Needless to say I made his day

 

[Bana]

Apologies if theres a separate thread for this stuff but a break from the usual. I'm up in Montenotte at a wedding horsing into pints and the old doll is cleaning out the old office in the gaff. Sends me the attached "do you want to keep this?"... My old man collects old programmes. Needless to say I made his day

Tan will be on shortly to explain to us what was wrong with that cork team..

 

[dunmore]

Jeez this ignore lark is brilliant

Jeez, that didn't last long R&B.

 

[red&blue]

Jeez, that didn't last long R&B.

What you mean kid? Are they mouthing off? I can’t see and I don’t care

 

[TheOutdoorThreadmill]

Why aim that post at just me? Why not the idiots who just come on here to cause trouble? Or why not the other genuine posters they target?

You're worse to take any notice, post away kid

 

[red&blue]

You're worse to take any notice, post away kid

Oh I am posting away, just not to dumb and dumber

But your man singled me out in his post