By Peter McNamara
Kildare were tormented by Dublin in the Leinster SFC semi-final at Croke Park.
Jim Gavin’s side dismantled the Lilywhites into pieces by nailing 5-18 on the scoreboard at headquarters.
Jason Ryan’s men had to reflect on a 19-point trouncing which came, of course, hot on the heels of relegation from the second-tier to Division 3 for 2016.
Ryan’s men amassed merely four points in Division 2 with the likes of Westmeath, Cavan, Laois, Meath, Roscommon and Down, now all sides out of the Championship (the only other team remaining in the primary competition from this league section are Galway), finishing above them in the standings.
A rare highlight in the season so far for Ryan’s battalion was a 3-19 to 1-11 mauling of Laois in their replayed provincial quarter-final.
However, just prior to Kildare going on a decisive scoring burst in the second half, Tomás Ó Flatharta’s outfit had missed two guilt-edged goalscoring opportunities with the tie hanging in the balance.
Still, striking 2-3 in four minutes essentially buried the O’Moore men.
Eamonn Callaghan, a player laughably misused while Kieran McGeeney was at the helm in Kildare, Cathal McNally and Eoghan O’Flaherty all raised green flags for Ryan’s unit on that occasion.
Obviously, such attacking excellence didn’t do Kildare any good in the provincial championship thereafter.
Yet, when the Lilywhites get a run on a team they are extremely difficult to curtail, more so than most teams in the country and the reason for that is Kildare are the ultimate in-game confidence side.
When a few plays begin to fall into place for them, Kildare can drive on to seem as if the Harlem Globetrotters had switched to Gaelic football.
Two players, in particular, which illustrate this theory more than any others in their group are wing-back Emmet Bolton and midfielder Gary White.
In fact, if Cork are to justify long odds-on favouritism on Saturday night in Semple Stadium, Bolton, especially, will have to be pinned back into his own half.
The Eadestown performer is one of the most dangerous offensive-minded defenders in the code.
In contrast, though, if Bolton is contained much of Kildare’s attacking oxygen is stymied.
He contributed 0-1 as Ryan’s charges torched Longford in the previous round of the All-Ireland qualifiers 2-24 to 0-11 in Mullingar.
However, his goalscoring record alone speaks for its self over the last three or four campaigns at the highest level.
Bolton will shadow the man in possession and develop play after play off of that operator’s shoulder if allowed to by opponents.
He could be a key figure in Thurles because if Bolton were to soar, Brian Cuthbert’s Rebels could find themselves in bother.
And yet, if the Leesiders negate him Ryan’s job, ridiculously might I add given the unforeseen disruptions such as a raft of player defections he has had to deal with since taking the post, will most likely be on the line by 9pm that night.
Bolton really is that vital a component to Kildare.
The aforementioned Callaghan, now correctly stationed as a front-line attacker by a tactically shrewder judge in Ryan, pilfered 1-1 in Kildare’s most recent Championship outing and is clearly a man that has regained his mojo.
Alongside him, Alan Smith’s predatory instincts marks him out as a gifted attacking presence and he could also hurt Cork severely if afforded opportunities to do so.
In fact, Smith is probably one of the most underappreciated forward talents at the highest level.
The Sarsfields clubman, once in the groove, can penetrate any type of defensive structure.
Cork will need to truly negate Bolton, Callaghan and Smith.