Honours even after pendulum stops swinging

Armagh 0-10 Cork 1-7:WHEN A game defies all rhyme and reason the draw usually seems like a fair result – although in some ways we all left the cold dusky Athletic Grounds feeling a little hard done by.

Cork must be wondering why they nearly lost it; Armagh must be thinking they could have won it.

Not necessarily a bad result though for Cork as they go about the defence of their title, there is plenty of improving to do – including on the disciplinary front. After establishing a winning grip in the first half, they played the entire second half with 14 men after losing Paul Kerrigan to a straight red card.

“Ah yeah, a mix of everything,” conceded manager Conor Counihan. “I suppose having gone down to 14 men for the second half it looked as if we were going to get nothing out of it. I always said if we came up here and got something I’d be reasonably happy.”

The sending off of Kerrigan on 31 minutes marked a definite turning point: Cork were 1-3 to 0-1 in front and coasting, yet Kerrigan got caught up in some off-the-ball jostling with Armagh’s Finnian Moriarty, and appeared to initiate a head-butt. That was enough for the linesman to call for the referee Syl Doyle, who then drew red.

“I’d a fairly clear view of it,” added Counihan, without adding what he actually saw. “In fairness, I don’t think the referee made the decision. The linesman made the decision, under some duress. Was it or wasn’t it? You’re the more objective people here.”

Well, the intent was definite, and Kerrigan didn’t exactly argue. Anyway, just moments later both teams faced off with the other, en masse. Harmlessly, as it turned out, yet it wouldn’t have taken much for things to turn ugly (the game ended with 10 yellow cards).

“Look, I don’t think there was anything in it,” agreed Counihan. “But if the GAA are serious about things like that they need to stamp it out, totally. Because it happens week in, week out. Referees aren’t responsible, and as long as you know you can get away with a certain amount of something, everyone is going to do it.”

Thankfully, both teams got down to playing more serious football in the second half. Armagh had played the opening 30 minutes in a near slumber, shooting a series of wides and then shooting themselves in the foot, on 20 minutes, when John Kingham – one of five debutants – somehow palmed Kerrigan’s free into his own net.

It mightn’t have been so bad if Armagh were actually competing: instead, Cork were winning ball for fun, with Mark Collins showing best up front, although their shooting was at times reckless. Still it took 25 minutes for Armagh to score with a free from Paul Carvil, and they trailed 1-3 to 0-1 at the break.

When Armagh manager Paddy O’Rourke reflected on that afterwards he admitted they’d shown a little too much respect for the league champions: “Our boys were a bit uptight, over-awed maybe, some of them, but once they got in around them in the second half they realised they were just human beings, like everyone else.”

Starting without the Crossmaglen crew, including Jamie Clarke and Aaron Kernan, plus the still resting Steven McDonnell, Armagh badly needed someone to step up in the second half, and as if on cue up leaped Eugene McVerry, and off the bench too jumped Aidan Forker. They hit five unanswered frees between them, before Malachy Mackin fired over their first from play, and more importantly, the equaliser.

Before Cork or anyone else, it seemed, could fathom it, Armagh were in the driving seat – then just as quickly went in front when McVerry shot only their second from play. It was neck and neck until the finish: Cork substitute Seán Kiely and Forker exchanged scores, before Donncha O’Connor levelled it up again.

With five minutes to play O’Connor’s short free to Collins resulted in what looked like the potential winner for Cork. But no, Armagh duly responded, with Andy Mallon levelling it again with three minutes to play. Then Armagh had a potential winner, only for McVerry’s last free to drift right and wide.

ARMAGH: N Geoghan; A Mallon, B Donaghy, D McKenna; P Duffy, C McKeever, F Moriarty; C Vernon, J Kingham (1-0, own goal); C Watters, K Dyas, A Duffy; P Carvill (0-1, free), M Mackin (0-1), E McVerry (0-4, 0-3 frees). Subs: C Rafferty for Kingham (27 mins), A Forker (0-3, frees) for Watters (34 mins), S Campbell for Carvill (half-time), B Mallon (0-1) for Duffy (53 mins), R Rafferty for Dyas (58 mins).

CORK: K O’Halloran; R Carey, M Shields, E Cadogan; N O’Leary, P Kissane, G Canty; A O’Connor, P O’Neill; F Goold (0-1, free), P Kerrigan, C O’Driscoll; F Lynch, D O’Connor (0-2), M Collins (0-3). Subs: S Kiely (0-1) for O’Driscoll (51 mins), D O’Sullivan for O’Leary (56 mins), E Cotter for Cadogan (59 mins), L Shorten for Lynch (64 mins).

Referee: S Doyle (Wexford).