After everything had started so predictably last week, it didn’t take long for a whole pile of assumptions and opinions to go up in smoke. Cork, hot favourites for the All-Ireland, were lucky not to get beaten in Ennis, having been 12 up at half-time.
Maybe it’s a good thing for them that any suggestion of invincibility has been so quickly subjected to a reality check. It gives Ryan a chance to reset and refocus the team but opponents will, equally, see some vulnerability there.
Cork seem unable to avoid 15-minute periods where for whatever reason, they’re totally under the cosh. It happened against Limerick last year as well. Typically, they stop winning ball up front and also start conceding goals.
Even when defenders have possession, like Ciarán Joyce had last weekend, it’s coughed up, and the next thing, it’s in the net. Before the match in Ennis I noted that Cork had the same defence that conceded three goals to Clare in last year’s All-Ireland.
There’s no doubting that Clare’s forwards are nimble and skilful but once again, you’d have to question some of the defending.
In last year’s All-Ireland semi-final against Limerick, Cork won a thriller by just one point. Yet, Aaron Gillane got a couple of great goal chances but he either slipped or stumbled at the key moment, and the chance was lost. It was nothing to do with the quality of the defending.
Cork for me have two main concerns. When Tipperary outscored them in the second half of the league final, nobody really took any notice. Ryan said it was the worst half of hurling his team had produced but it was part of a pattern of losing the initiative in big matches, particularly when the pressure comes on.
Shane Barrett’s red card was the second one Cork have been shown in the last three matches against Clare. They opened their campaign 12 months ago with another one, against Waterford. That needs to stop. Eoin Downey was substituted last year in the Munster game against Limerick when he got a yellow, so concerned were they about losing a man, again.
Sunday brings Tipperary back to Páirc Uí Chaoimh where they endured a bit of a horror show in the league final only three weeks ago. I still expect Cork to win but it’s amazing how the tables have turned.
Eoin Downey had a torrid time marking Peter Duggan and his confidence must have been shaken. Rob Downey looked ill at ease when playing on, injured.
Even if he lines out, you’d have to wonder whether he can be fully fit. The suspended Shane Barrett is a huge loss.
Maybe all of this will fire up a response and they’ll want to get their season back on track after a disappointing result – for all Ryan’s insistence that he’d have settled for a draw that morning.
Tipp were definitely better compared with the league final: commitment and work-rate were a lot closer to the levels of the earlier league matches and there was a key improvement in the puckout. In the league final, they conceded the Cork puckout and the ball was just worked up the field past them.
They didn’t do that with last Sunday with Limerick. They took responsibility individually and kept it tight. Their own puckout was much more successful even though they weren’t winning the ball cleanly. They were contesting the ball and not letting Limerick win primary possession, which happened most of the time in the league final. Then, they showed great energy to compete on the ground.
On Sunday they’ll have to test their opponents’ mettle by getting stuck in to the battle for possession and if they can’t get it cleanly, they should create as much ruck ball as they can – anything to stop Cork simply gliding into possession and running around or through them at pace.
Maybe Liam Cahill was keeping something up his sleeve by not starting Jake Morris at centre forward in the league final. He was a dominant figure there against Limerick and had excellent form there earlier in the season.
There were plenty of people questioning John McGrath when he was selected last week but he scored two of the finest goals to show that he still has that finishing touch.
The build-up to the second goal was just as impressive, a lovely flowing move with precision passing through Limerick’s middle third. Would that have been even attempted three or four years ago?
Can Tipperary put in the same display this week against a bristling Cork as opposed to a stuttering Limerick?
Waterford are into action this weekend but against an unexpectedly upbeat Clare. Unlucky not to force a draw in Ennis last year and reach the All-Ireland stages for the first time in the round robin, Peter Queally’s team got promotion and won Division 1B and, in Mark Fitzgerald, have an outstanding, young defender.
The lengthy odds against them are based on Clare’s second-half display last week but I wonder to what extent Cork’s fall-off contributed to this. Up to half-time all of the reservations about Clare were being confirmed. One half later, the temptation is to park all that because they got such a famous result at home.
But I think this will be a fair test of Clare. It’s hard to predict a Waterford victory, but it wouldn’t be the biggest surprise in the world.
In Leinster, Galway’s poor form against Kilkenny was the biggest eye opener on week one although, on the basis of the league, maybe it shouldn’t have been. Offaly are an emerging team and in my lifetime have been difficult opponents for Galway.
Dublin and Wexford both beat Galway last year, and now Offaly will feel they have every chance in Tullamore.
