ALLIANZ NFL:THE MOST interesting league fixture of the weekend sees National Football League leaders Dublin travel to Cork for an encounter that can have a crucial influence on whether the Leinster champions reach a first league final in 11 years, writes SEÁN MORANGAA Correspondent
It’s a forbidding trip for the visitors, who haven’t won in the southern capital for 27 years when they triumphed in the famous 1983 All-Ireland semi-final replay.
You’d have to go back another two years for the most recent league win but already Pat Gilroy’s team has tidied up a long-running statistical blank by winning in Kerry for the first time since 1982.
But the challenge will be less about the record books and more about Conor Counihan’s side, who have impressed in their first season back in the top division, winning three out of four and even in their first defeat, last weekend in Tyrone, they continued their high-scoring form only to be undone by leaking three goals.
Counihan has been guiding the county through recovery from the latest championship defeat by Kerry, in last September’s All-Ireland final. He has the promising potential of recent under-age successes to help to improve the county’s prospects and is frank about the priorities he has set for this season’s league.
“The two priorities were looking at players and consolidating our position in Division One. The league is finely balanced. A lot of games are decided by a couple of points and if you’re fortunate enough to come out on the right side you have momentum.
“You’re always looking at levels of performance. Last year was positive for us but I’d say we weren’t finding out as much as we’d have liked about players in Division Two. The top two or three counties are of a high standard but it tails off a bit after that.
“It’s a national trophy and the second most prestigious competition but we have to balance that against the need to look at players and then the need to get team -work going because at some stage we have to settle on a first 15.”
Counihan’s happy with the first half of the campaign but it doesn’t take much analysis to work out where his concerns lie.
“You’ve got to cater for everything. It’s good to run up big scores but you have to take care of defensive requirements as well.”
The difficulties at the back mean there’s not as much pressure as might have been hoped on currently injured defensive mainstays, Graham Canty, Noel O’Leary and Anthony Lynch. Canty had an exceptional year playing in the half backs and Counihan was happy to release him by placing Michael Shields at full back.
So far the current All Star number three is having a trying league and has taken a pounding against some big-name forwards, Michael Meehan, Kieran Donaghy and Owen Mulligan, and is known to prefer playing in the half backs.
There have also been problems at centrefield where the form of last year’s big three around the middle, Nicholas Murphy, Pearse O’Neill and Alan O’Connor has been fitful.
Tomorrow brings the challenge of an unbeaten Dublin, who have thrived with a largely unknown defensive formation made up of newcomers to the inter-county stage. Although Cork are the top scorers with 5-60 in the division to date they are up against the meanest defence, the leaders having conceded 3-34 – or less than 11 points a match.
Counihan says the underage success in Cork isn’t an immediate remedy for problem positions and he is reluctant to quantify the amount of change he intends to implement in the summer.
“It takes a bit of time depending on the individual. For players coming out of the 21s the transition can sometimes take two or three years. It’s very dependent on the position. Is a player you’re bringing in actually doing a better job than whoever was there and have players maintained form? Have you the strength in depth to make changes? I think we’ll have a clearer picture at the end of the league.”
Matters have been complicated by some erosion within the panel. Michael Cussen decided to concentrate on hurling before the start of the season. His height had helped make him a useful option whether at full forward or centrefield. For whatever reason, Counihan was reluctant to field the player last year despite the below-par performance of the attack in the All-Ireland final.
“People make decisions and you have to respect them,” says Counihan of Cussen’s departure. “There are different opinions and people are entitled to them. It might have worked or it might not. I’m not convinced.”
Then, last week, James Masters walked away, his career having tailed off into frustration at restricted game time from the replacements’ bench. Counihan doesn’t want to comment on the matter but it has been fairly clear he sees the Nemo forward as a panellist rather than a starter.
He’s amused by the popular belief that a run through the qualifiers might be a better option for Cork after victories over Kerry in Munster were almost inevitably followed by the tables being turned later in the summer.
“It wasn’t the straight route that beat us last year. I know some teams find out more about themselves but in the final we just underperformed. That was the problem.”
And that’s what he’s addressing.
