Agree with a lot of this. I’m not sure the coaching is as bad as some suggest but they were definitely a lot more effective around opposition’s puck-outs last year. It gave them the platform to build proper momentum when they needed it. This could be partially down to some of the missing personnel though, as you highlight. Flynn was one the keys to upsetting Limerick’s puck-outs last year, and Joyce cleaned up on the breaks. Flynn sat in front of the space that O’Neill was running into.
I watched back the game and there were 30/40 metres of empty space in front of the Limerick half-forward line at times. Coupled with the Limerick keeper’s accurate puck-outs, it meant that the Cork half-back line were rarely able to properly compete or upset the Limerick puck-outs. The half-forward line and midfield have to do better at dropping back and covering the space. On rewatching it I thought Sean Walsh had a really good impact from the bench. He did a good job of covering that space when he came on. I think Diarmuid Healy also played a lot better than he’s been given credit for here. He made 2 or 3 average decisions in possession but he was one of the few players able to come out of those rucks with possession.
