Cork Hurlers - Part 2

[Killyoursons]

Talk about Limerick showing their hand and Cork being better prepared next time is ridiculous. Limerick set up exactly as expected, and their execution was superb. They have made changes in personnel and positioning since last year, but these were well flagged in advance.

Talk about how Cork might fare in the Munster final, let alone if they met Limerick later on, is for the birds tbh. Need to focus on Waterford - they are not a super team or anything, but they are not some Joe McDonagh outfit either. This week is a massive challenge for mgmt and players alike, to get their heads right and make sure they perform. They were in an even tighter spot last year, took care of their own business and had a bit of luck elsewhere. If Cork perform anywhere near their potential they will have too much for Waterford imo - but getting to that level after the hockeying they took yesterday will not be straightforward.

 

[bluesball]

i was in the city terrace yesterday,though going limerick fans around me sound,could not believe how bad we were, ,under the terrace at half time was like a war zone with the amount of supporters after getting weak etc on the terraces and being looked after both security and the guards,no water available at half time shops sold out.

 

[Rebel CNC]

Talk about Limerick showing their hand and Cork being better prepared next time is ridiculous. Limerick set up exactly as expected, and their execution was superb. They have made changes in personnel and positioning since last year, but these were well flagged in advance.

Talk about how Cork might fare in the Munster final, let alone if they met Limerick later on, is for the birds tbh. Need to focus on Waterford - they are not a super team or anything, but they are not some Joe McDonagh outfit either. This week is a massive challenge for mgmt and players alike, to get their heads right and make sure they perform. They were in an even tighter spot last year, took care of their own business and had a bit of luck elsewhere. If Cork perform anywhere near their potential they will have too much for Waterford imo - but getting to that level after the hockeying they took yesterday will not be straightforward.

Spot on - Waterford gave Tipp a decent game in Thules yesterday and will be going into Sunday's game as underdogs against what may be a fairly brittle Cork team.

 

[smurfay]

This team clearly isn’t as good as many think it is and the curve is trending down, they managed 2 wins from 4 in munster last year and are struggling to match that this year…..clearly there’s a comfort blanket for certain players in terms of selection and form, the competition in the squad seems to be negligible as we continuously select the same players, imagine lining out with the exact same defence vs limerick again as last year and expecting different outcome, fellas on giving out that O’Leary was on gillane, have ye seen what gillane did to sod every game ?
We had millerick on the bench all game and management went for cahalane to replace Niall O’Leary…….i mean ffs, Twomey a form has been poor all championship and he starts again, Coleman is a poor defender at this level and he starts again…..there are potentially options but not a fucking hope they will start or get a chance
The only changes will be injury related but tbh based on the track record of playing fellas who are just back from injury or actually injured we might not make any changes.
We missed the boat last year and everyone knows it, we needed to kick on and really develop the squad and we have totally failed
Totalll lacking a level of ruthlessness to push onto the next level unfortunately despite the huge efforts from all concerned

You're fully entitled to your very pessimistic opinion - particularly after yesterday.

I am one who would have rather seen SOD on Gillane. He's our fastest, strongest defender and NOL offers more marking a roving type forward I feel. Gillane did wreck in the semi final, but SOD always competes well with him imo, including that day. He held him scoreless from play down the Pairc which was maybe overshadowed by two bad mistakes on the ball.

Also, was possibly a strange call to bring in Cahalane over Millerick but I don't think he could be faulted for his performance. I rate Millerick but he wasn't great against Tipp.

 

[latchico]

I thought the atmosphere was great there yesterday. Loads of colour and good banter for the most part. It was bloody hot in the open stand. Dunno how they managed it in the pitch. Obviously disappointed it wasn’t a close game that everyone could enjoy.

I did encounter a load of people having trouble accessing their ticket before they entered the gate. I had to hotspot my phone for one limerick fella who couldn’t get any reception. He was told by stewards to go about 100 yards outside the stadium and he might get reception. Probably had to do with the volume of people trying to get online?

 

[Rebel CNC]

i was in the city terrace yesterday,though going limerick fans around me sound,could not believe how bad we were, ,under the terrace at half time was like a war zone with the amount of supporters after getting weak etc on the terraces and being looked after both security and the guards,no water available at half time shops sold out.

Yeah -issues too in uncover North Stand. Was a day for a hat and plenty of water. Saw one family with a baby no more than couple of months old strapped to dad's chest - absolute madness.
They had warm water for sale tbf.

 

[Killyoursons]

Tactically, yesterday made two things v clear. First, a big weakness of this squad is the lack of ball-winning options in the HF line. They really struggle on long puck-outs without Dalton and Harnedy. There are no real alternatives to them at present, unless O'Mahony is moved into that line - last year I would have liked to have seen that, but in fairness he's done v well at midfield so I'd be reluctant to take him out of there.

The other point to mention, which is closely connected to the first, is that Cork once again struggled on their own puck-outs against the wind. I think Collins is far haptwith the wind, when he has the option of aiming directly for Hayes but also of drilling the odd medium-range one to make sure the opposition can't just flood back towards/inside their own 45.

GaelicStatsman on X is well worth a look:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1924143632971391309

Cork were well off Limerick in terms of shots, accuracy and puck-outs won, but surprisingly (to me anyway) were much closer on turnovers. I think they upped the workrate noticeably in the third quarter, where without ever threatening a turnaround they were at least tackling and flicking with some success. The problem is that by then Limerick could afford to sit their Hb line deep to block off space in front of the Cork FF line, knowing that as long as Cork couldn't get goals they were never going to get close.

 

[North Cork Star]

Well lads, that was a very sobering afternoon in the Gaelic Grounds yesterday. I was absolutely demoralised after that. I felt we didn't know where Cork were at after the Clare and Tipp games and that the Limerick game was going to be the litmus test to see where we are truly at. Well it looks like we aren't at the level required to win our first All Ireland in 20 years.

Yes, we totally underperformed, but do we have it in us to turn it around to beat a Limerick team as formidable as they were yesterday? It is hard to see that happening this year.

We looked very flat yesterday and didn't look up for the battle at all. Limerick were ravenous and outworked us from start to finish. They crowded out all areas which suited them down to the ground.

Just an observation, Cork's warm up looked much tougher than Limerick's warm up. Cork were doing 45 metre runs in 25 degrees heat whereas Limerick were pucking the ball in 3s. Also, Limerick let Cork bake in the sun for 3 minutes before coming out onto the field for the 2nd half. Small things I know, but would make a little difference.

I thought Mark Coleman hurled very well and was one of our only players who brought a bit of fight to Limerick. But Tom Morrissey was left unmarked at times and did damage as a result. My question though, is this a Mark Coleman problem or a Cork problem? There seems to be very little communication or intention around the middle third to mind the house if one of us breaks forward. There is no one falling back to mark a man or cover space. Limerick on the other hand are always covering back. For me, it is worth trying Coleman midfield instead of Twomey and putting O' Brien in at wing back. Maybe we will look structurally better as a result.

Robert Downey looked under pressure on the wing and isn't suited to being on the back foot. Centre back is his position, full stop.

Also, I think Shane Barrett is more effective as a centre forward. More chance that his man is sitting back and gives him the chance to bore holes down the middle of a defence.

Alan Connolly is out of form unfortunately at the moment. Still a weapon for us but is it time to look at Robbie in the full forward line or Brian Roche in a roaming role? Dalton is a loss too but this will open the door for Harnedy to start again. We need him. Also, is it time to unleash Diarmuid Healy? I think it is. Our forward line might need to be freshened up a bit. Hoggie will probably start but I wouldn't mind seeing him come on with 20 minutes to go like he did in the league v Tipp.

Also, our use of subs haven't been great. Ger Millerick is our best defending replacement. He should have been our sub on yesterday. Damien Cahalane should only be used in times we need a physical presence in defence. Tommy O' Connell has been criminally underused this year. He was flying it in the warm up and fully expected him to feature. He must be bulling. Robbie O' Flynn came on too late. Some of our forwards were not at all effective and stayed on for all the game or almost all the game. Brian Roche and Cormac O Brien did very well when they came on but they were forced substitutes due to injury. They surely should be considered as starters too for next Sunday.

Will Pat Ryan and Co. stick or twist for this Sunday v Waterford? Whichever way they select the team, application from the players should be a given. This is knockout hurling. We are well capable of beating Waterford at home but we can no longer afford to be complacent or off form. This is now or never. If we put in a performance, we will win and be rewarded with another bite of the cherry v Limerick. I hope a lot of lessons are learned and a lot of home truths are shared.

This is the make or break moment in our season. Time to stand up.

 

[Cook My Sock]

Dished out 17 batings to mouthy Limerick fellas in the stands yesterday, so that's a 1 point win for Cork. It would have been 18 but @Cook My Sock took off like a scalded cat.

LOL, I’d have bought you a pint M8…after I pucked the head off you

 

[mathuna]

Collins (because we didn't blood Sanderson enough)
NOL ED & Coleman (as the roving corner back so will play out around the middle anyway)
Joyce RD COB (Tommy to play here if Rob isn't right)
TOM Fitzy (our best midfield pairing)
Seamie Barrett DD (or Healy if DD isn't fit)
Hayes Connolly Hoggie (just about. Robbie ready to come in if anyone if off it)