Fintan O’Toole
THEY cut contrasting figures Wednesday night in Páirc Ui Rinn, John Cleary and John Kennedy. Cleary was in ebullient form. He had witnessed his Cork U21 charges produce an awesome display of football that ensured they collected a second Munster title in this grade under his watch, to accompany the four he had previously won as a selector. Kennedy was downcast after observing the pummelling Kerry had taken. Aside from their 2008 U21 All-Ireland winning team, the underage grades have been barren ground for the county over the past decade.
They may not have been directly involved but the moods of Conor Counihan and Jack O’Connor last night would have mirrored their respective U21 counterparts. In the short-term the result will not mark a seismic shift in either’s preparations for this summer’s championship. But both Counihan and O’Connor are in it for the long haul with the Cork boss penning a two-year extension last winter and the Kerry manager committing to a three-year term at the same time. In that sense the 2-24 to 0-8 landslide was important in informing future squad development in the years ahead. There is a core of experience to both the Cork and Kerry senior squads but those stalwarts will not be around forever and there is always a need for reinvention.
In that sense there was plenty good news for Counihan to absorb. He’s well aware of what Aidan Walsh and Ciaran Sheehan are about but last night provided a timely reminder of the abilities of both. The duo’s involvement at senior level could now be restricted over the next month but it is a nice complaint for Counihan to have.
Of more interest to him will be the form of Barry O’Driscoll and Mark Collins. Injuries have proved a hindrance during O’Driscoll’s career but when his fitness is up to shape he is a nightmare for corner-backs. Following Colm O’Neill’s injury and John Hayes departure, there is a dearth of natural corner-forwards in the Cork senior panel. O’Driscoll has been exposed to a high level of football through club, college and underage county teams. After his 1-6 haul last night, the natural next step is to be drafted into the senior squad.
Collins continues to impress with his playmaking skills again to the fore last night from centre-forward. He directed the flow of Cork’s attacks and his freetaking abilities will not have gone unnoticed either. By the end, Collins had converted five frees and given the travails the Cork seniors experienced with right-footed freetakers last summer in Donncha O’Connor’s absence, Collins input will not have gone unnoticed That duo are most likely to make an immediate step-up to the senior ranks. Damian Cahalane, Tomas Clancy, Micheal O’Laoire and Donal Óg Hodnett all displayed flashes of promise but are longer term projects. The raw materials are there yet further development will be needed before the senior call comes.
It was a miserable night for Kerry. Nothing went right as their performance lurched from bad to disastrous. The future prospects of this bunch of players cannot be completely dismissed and this display could be an isolated case. But certainly there was no one who put their hand up to convince Jack O’Connor as he journeyed home that they would energise his senior set-up in 2011. In defence Peter Crowley and Jonathan Lyne had a torrid time at the hands of O’Driscoll and Sheehan. A mitigating factor for Crowley was that in a lopsided game like this, corner-backs can be powerless to stop forwards when they are fed a regular stream of quality possession.
Kerry’s attack endured a fruitless night. Paul Geaney and Barry John Keane were both kept scoreless from play, and found it impossible to punch holes in the Cork rearguard. Barry John Walsh was a sporadic threat when introduced. Daithi Casey foraged as best he could outfield but was not hugely effective.
Kerry’s best player was James O’Donoghue who showed an inventive streak from the start. Fifteen months ago he claimed the man-of-the-match bauble for Kerry in a McGrath Cup final against UCC in Tralee but injuries hampered his ability to build on that promise. Last night there were signs that he is back to fitness and remains a fine prospect. The Legion player was a rare good news story on a bleak night for the Kingdom.
Source: http://feeds.examiner.ie/~r/iesportsblog/~3/H3783Rqk8Z8/post.aspx
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