FOOTBALL ANALYST: Cork's work-rate, fitness, control and quick transfer of the ball decisive as Tyrone are out-Tyroned

FIRST OFF, can I get this off my chest: thank goodness some of the refereeing decisions in yesterday’s semi-final – most obviously the sending-off of Cork’s midfielder Alan O’Connor – didn’t prevent the right team getting to the All-Ireland final.

Cork, not just on this performance but on their efforts throughout the championship, deserve to be into football’s showpiece.

To be brutally honest, I haven’t seen any refereeing decision in Croke Park in recent years to come close to matching that made by John Bannon in issuing two yellow cards to O’Connor. It was ridiculous. It was unbelievable. It could have had serious repercussions on the outcome and it is to Cork’s credit that they showed their strength of character, their work-rate, their fitness, their control and their composure to claim a deserved and ultimately comprehensive win.

If I was either manager, Conor Counihan or Mickey Harte, I’d have been annoyed with the referee. Many of his decisions were confounding for both teams. It’s no wonder there was so much mouthing off and dissent to the referee, because players are training like professionals and put in so much work and time to get to this level . . . . then, to get this standard of refereeing performance? It is just not good enough! Cork deserved their win, and whoever – Meath or Kerry – gets them in the final will know they will be facing a formidable team.

Before O’Connor’s sending-off, Cork looked like they would have a runaway win. After the dismissal, they probably learned more about themselves and they will now go into the final with confidence in their own ability and a hunger to go on and finish the job.

There’s no doubt Seán Cavanagh’s absence from the starting line-up affected Tyrone but I don’t believe the result would have been any different. Cork were so much better equipped physically and around the middle of the field that they got the upper hand on Tyrone from the start and the clean catching of Nicholas Murphy and the ability of Graham Canty and John Miskella to win breaking ball was very important.

The key to Cork’s win was the manner in which they transferred the ball so quickly. There was no delaying, just quick movement of the ball that didn’t give Tyrone the opportunity to play their traditional swarming game and you have to credit Cork with the intensity of play and the sustained running throughout the field which was a great tribute to their preparations.

Counihan was an outstanding defender in his own playing days and that experience is obvious in this team. He has built from the back and, in Canty, he has a centre-half back who is very much an inspirational leader who sets an example that other defenders follow. Canty led from the front. He has a tremendous presence that gels the entire defence.

I felt the only real danger from Tyrone came when Stephen O’Neill got possession, as Anthony Lynch often struggled to close him down. But Tyrone, who came more into it after getting the numerical advantage with O’Connor’s sending-off, never really got a foothold on the game and I thought that Brian Dooher and Conor Gormley – players who have given so much to Tyrone and Gaelic football generally over the years – were exposed for pace.

There were many untypical features to Tyrone’s play, and you have to give credit to Cork for applying such intensity in all areas of the field. Normally, Tyrone move the ball quickly; yesterday, there were occasions when they opted to solo the ball and, not only that, but ended up soloing and losing possession. There were other times when Tyrone’s shooting, even unopposed, was very poor. You just don’t expect that from Tyrone and maybe the pressure of trying to put back-to-back All-Irelands together told on them. It just seemed that a number of the Tyrone players were tired and didn’t have the legs or the freshness Cork had.

The platform for Cork’s win was again established at midfield and from the half backs but the forwards played a huge part too, with Colm O’Neill proving a fabulous target man and a clinical finisher, while Pearse O’Neill and Paddy Kelly were outstanding and Daniel Goulding took his goal beautifully and wasn’t afraid to put in a tremendous amount of work off the ball, which typified the whole Cork spirit.

In many ways, Cork adopted a page out of the Tyrone manual in that their forwards would often turn into defenders and Cork’s attitude was admirable. Counihan has instilled a terrific fighting spirit into the team, although I felt some of the high tackles in the second half were bordering on the reckless.

I would put that down to their ferocious hunger to win and the team’s intensity and work-rate but it is something they will have to be mindful of in the final.