Football

Cork's upturn in form to face a reality check against Dublin

Cork's Mark Collins has made a big impact at full-forward this summer Picture by Colm O'Reilly
Cork's Mark Collins has made a big impact at full-forward this summer Picture by Colm O'Reilly Cork's Mark Collins has made a big impact at full-forward this summer Picture by Colm O'Reilly

All-Ireland SFC quarter-final phase one: Dublin v Cork (tonight, Croke Park, 7pm, live on RTÉ2)

AFTER a seven-point defeat to Donegal in Páirc Uí Rinn in mid-March, Cork were staring relegation to Division Three in the face.

Leading by five at the break, the Rebels collapsed in the second-half, hitting a paltry four points to Donegal’s haul of 1-13. With Ian Maguire and Luke Connolly succumbing to injury with all their substitutes used and Mark Collins seeing red late on, it was a thoroughly miserable day for Cork football.

One week later, at the Athletic Grounds in Armagh, Cork’s drop to football’s third tier for the first time in their illustrious history was confirmed, despite a one-point win over Kieran McGeeney’s men.

Four months later, the 2010 All-Ireland champions find themselves in the Super 8s and bracing themselves for a Croke Park clash with Dublin. What explains the sudden turnaround? Has there even been a turnaround? These are questions which should be able to be definitively answered around 9pm tonight.

Until then, though, there are a couple of fairly solid suppositions to be made. Firstly, manager Ronan McCarthy appears to have admitted that a system based on deriving solidity from a defensive set-up was producing next to no solid results.

A more attacking game aimed at maximising the damage the likes of Mark Collins and Brian Hurley can do up front has made an immediate difference. Collins alone has got himself 1-25 from three games in the full-forward line this summer.

Scoring tallies of 27 points against Limerick, 19 against Kerry (albeit in defeat in the Munster final) and 32 against Laois are not to be sniffed at. Castlehaven clubman Hurley has got himself five goals in those three games, adopting a poacher’s role he will hope to reprise this evening at Headquarters.

So on this level, the shift in emphasis from defence to offence has worked. Not many people would have had Cork down as one of their eight last standing when the National League concluded in the spring and the manner of their Munster final defeat was greatly improved from the collapse at Páirc Uí Chaoimh the year before.

However, a facile win over a Limerick side who only London kept off the foot of Division Four earlier in the year and the blitzing of Laois who played their football in the third tier hardly set you up for a Super 8 encounter with Dublin at Croke Park.

The seemingly perennial Leinster champions were far from at their best in their most recent provincial coronation against Meath but, then again, they really didn’t need to be. What Jim Gavin’s men did do was allow the Royal county the space to make mistake after mistake in front of the posts and then pick them off at will.

If Cork are to stand a chance this evening – which many won’t give them in the first place – they will have to take every sniff they get with a ruthlessness which Division Three teams aren’t usually noted for.

Although the Dubs will still be without Jonny Cooper and James McCarthy – who came off injured against Meath – they are extremely unlikely to allow Mark Collins and Brian Hurley the space to make a real impact.

And with Ciarán Kilkenny pulling the strings further forward, the Rebels are very likely on a hiding to nothing.