Where now for Cork football?

By Éamonn Murphy

Where now for Cork football?

By Éamonn Murphy

Cork football is at a crossroads after a dispiriting display in a 1-21 to 1-13 loss to Kildare in the All-Ireland qualifiers at Semple Stadium on Saturday night.

From the highs of the 2010 All-Ireland and a Munster and league double in 2012 – part of a Division 1 three-in-a-row – Cork have suffered four humiliating losses now in Brian Cuthbert’s two-year reign.

A 0-24 to 0-12 stuffing by Kerry in last year’s Munster final in the Páirc was a nadir, but being ripped apart by the Lilywhites was certainly comparable to league final and semi-final disappointments against Dublin.

What happened to the team that tore into the Kingdom in Killarney just 20 days ago?

Kildare were full value for their eight-point victory in Thurles, with the Rebels outfought, outthought and out of the Championship at the earliest stage since 2004.

With just a six-day turnaround from the Munster final replay loss, this was always going to be a sticky fixture for Cork but the comprehensive manner of the defeat left Leesiders reeling.

It would have been understandable against Dublin had Cork made an 11th successive All-Ireland quarter-final. Not so much against a team beaten out the gate by the Dubs recently and relegated to Division 3 of the league.

This was the type of leaderless and tame display that had the likes of Tomás Ó Sé and Joe Brolly, along with many in Rebel county, slating Cork and the management team headed up by Cuthbert before they surprised us all with their scintillating performance against Kerry the first day.

The problem was that provincial decider ended in a draw – where Cork were robbed by their rivals’ good fortunate and Colm O’Neill’s failure to convert a late 45.

Everything was poured into ending a 20-year wait since Cork last won in Championship on enemy soil.

They had red wristbands with the slogan Ní Ghéillfimíd – we won’t give in, as Bearla – and an XX reference to those 20 years without a victory in Fitzgerald Stadium, but they couldn’t replicate that display on any level here.

They suffered a few blows, the cruellest the loss of Alan O’Connor midway through the first half to a knee injury which handed the initiative in midfield to Kildare, while James Loughrey was missed after an early black card.

The guile and composure of the injured Pa Kelly would have provided direction from the half-forward line.

The big moment came just after the break. Conor Dorman flicked the ball off the crossbar when a goal would have trimmed the gap to two points. Instead possession ended up in Niall Kelly’s hands at the other end soon after and he buried it. At 1-11 to 0-6 after 39 minutes it was game over.

Wiped with over 30 minutes to play against Kildare? That was unacceptable.

Cork sat far too deep looking to implement the blanket defence and counter-attacking approach. What caught Kerry out originally wasn’t going to expose a Kildare team who were fresh and focused.

There was the same succession of turnovers that were costly in the Munster final replay.

The ire of the supporters is focused on Cuthbert, who refused to speak to the media afterwards, but very few players came out with their reputations enhanced.

Brian Hurley was lively as a second-half sub, assisting 1-3 and scoring himself too, while Colm O’Neill stuck a powerful free to net and curled over a gem from play.

Mark Collins was always an outlet but the team ran down too many blind alleys.

That’s been the story of the past two seasons, some bright league outings notwithstanding. The clamour has already started to give Castlehaven's John Cleary the job as bainisteoir, but there won’t be any quick fix.

The likes of Alan and Donncha O’Connor, Pa Kelly, Daniel Goulding, Michael Shields and Eoin Cadogan have high miles on the clock.

Cork excel at U21 but they’ve struggled at minor lately, while the Munster club championship is dominated by Kerry teams and their schools have an iron grip on the Corn Uí Mhuirí.

Whoever is in charge next season, the future is dark and cloudy.

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