Major lessons must be learned by all concerned

MUNSTER SFC SEMI-FINAL REPLAY:Cork and Dublin must pick themselves up and drive on to better things in the championship, writes JOHN O'KEEFFE

THE DIFFERENCE in standard between yesterday’s two televised games could not have been more pronounced with the game in Cork light years removed in terms of skill levels from the fare in Croke Park.

Kerry’s attitude to the Munster senior football semi-final replay was evident in their body language, they desperately wanted to win this match and take the shorter route to the All-Ireland quarter-final.

The hunger and desire was palpable especially so in the closing stages and extra-time. The All-Ireland champions had leaders all over the pitch, players willing to take responsibility, a classic example of which was Marc Ó Sé’s equalising point.

He raced the length of the pitch and when the opportunity presented itself, didn’t shy away from taking the score. Having players of that ilk, those willing to be accountable in high -pressure situations, is essential in winning championships.

Jack O’Connor and his management team deserve credit for the manner in which they held Paul Galvin back before springing him in a move that had a massive influence on the outcome. The temptation would have been to start him but in the event he had to be withdrawn it would have a deflating effect on his team-mates.

Instead his arrival galvanised those around him as did his ability to win breaking ball and distribute it intelligently. But the main difference between the teams on the day was Colm Cooper. He enjoyed a seminal influence on proceedings facilitated by Cork manager Conor Counihan’s decision to leave a rookie Jamie O’Sullivan marking Cooper.

O’Sullivan had pretty much no support during the game though he was shadowing arguably the best footballer in the country at the moment. I thought it was a mistake. Cork will reflect on the lack of quality they offered in their play from 40 metres in towards the Kerry goal. They initially managed some success with the long ball and that was certainly apparent in the goal they scored but the direct approach eventually petered out.

The decision to let the ball in quicker than they had done in Killarney gave them some early success but once again Paul Kerrigan and Daniel Goulding were easily contained. Cork desperately need some skilful, accurate inside forwards to complement the amount of possession they win further out the pitch.

Kerry were far more economical in setting up their scores, working the opportunities until the player who eventually took on the shot had a relatively straightforward opportunity. They were able to see the space, exploit it and simplify the task for one another. Cork definitely missed Aidan Walsh around the midfield area.

Defeat might not do them too much harm if they absorb the lessons from the two matches against Kerry. This loss could even prove the catalyst to drive them on to better things. They should be smarting this morning but providing they harness those emotions and channel them correctly a route through the qualifiers might have a few fringe benefits.

The extra matches should allow them to sharpen up mentally and also fine-tune some of their patterns in a largely controlled environment, so to speak. Kerry benefited from the experience and composure that comes with winning championships in the final throes of the contest. They found the solutions to the questions asked of them.

That hunger and drive hasn’t diminished and considering the players they lost from last year they still possess a depth to the squad. Micheál Quirke, Darran O’Sullivan and Barry John Keane all contributed useful cameos. They’ll be happy now that the have taken the direct rather than the scenic route.

The Dubs discovered that the National League is not a great indicator of a team’s health from a playing perspective. An inexperienced Dublin team were a bundle of nerves, shapeless and for large tranches of the match in complete disarray.

Wexford manager Jason Ryan’s decision to attack the Dubs from the throw-in proved to be a canny strategy. They unsettled their opponents and should have gone in even further ahead at the interval. Pat Gilroy will have learned a great deal about his players after this match. He stuck to his principles and didn’t introduce the more experienced players until extra-time.

The scope for improvement is massive. Dublin will have to look at the way they defended as it was far too loose. The imbalance between the numbers behind the ball, the marking duties and the numbers in support of the ball-carrier going forward desperately needs to be addressed. They have- got to play with a minimum of four forwards to try and rack up any sort of score.

Wexford intelligently used their half backs and midfielders to support the player in possession and this gave them plenty of options: in contrast Dublin’s marking was remarkably haphazard. The obvious difference at the end of the contest was simply fitness. Wexford ran out of legs, Dublin were impressively strong to the end.

One further area of concern for the Dubs will be the number of high tackles they perpetrated and as a result yellow cards they received. It’s poor coaching, poor timing or malicious but they won’t survive a repeat the next day something that Denis Bastic and Ger Brennan would need to appreciate.

I thought Eoghan O’Gara did very well when he came on and was a significant contributor to his team’s revival. His honesty and work-rate could be an excellent foil for the silky skills of the Brogans and Conal Keaney. Rory O’Carroll did well at full back staying focused when others were losing their heads. The hard work for Dublin and Cork, albeit for the completely different reasons, begins now.