Masters and Cork primed to strike

Ian O'Riordantalks to Cork forward James Masters, who is acutely aware of the danger of taking Louth for granted in next Saturday's third-round qualifier

In any football qualifier draw there are teams you'd rather avoid and teams you don't mind getting - and so it worked out with Cork against Louth. After the narrow two-point defeat to Kerry in the Munster final, Cork remain definite All-Ireland contenders, and one of the teams everyone wanted to avoid.

Louth, in contrast, looked vulnerable throughout their Leinster campaign and, despite their surprise win over Kildare last weekend, were the team no one minded getting.

Such a scenario, however, creates danger for Cork in that Saturday's third-round clash in Portlaoise is a game they are widely fancied to win - and win well. There's added danger given they don't really know what to expect, the one and only previous championship clash being the 1957 All-Ireland final - which Louth won.

Cork forward James Masters is acutely aware of those dangers. Like most of this Cork team he's never played Louth before at any level, although he's certainly not about to underestimate their challenge.

"If we really want to be All-Ireland champions we have to get past the likes of Louth in the qualifiers," says Masters, one of the four ambassadors for the GAA's Ariel summer campaign, announced yesterday. "But I just know Louth are a very battled side now, and will give it 100 per cent on Saturday. They're a good side. Any crowd that beats Kildare can't be a bad team, and Limerick are a tough team no matter what anyone says."

Cork's season has been building steadily, however, and it would be one of the shocks of the summer if it were to end on Saturday. They destroyed Limerick and Tipperary in Munster before pushing Kerry all the way in the final on July 1st, a result which could so easily have been reversed had Derek Kavanagh been a little cuter with his late goal chance.

Masters believes that result was in fact more productive that last year's Munster final replay win over Kerry, a theory backed up by manager Billy Morgan. And of course there is nothing Cork would like better this year than to get another crack at Kerry back in Croke Park. "We did take plenty of positives from the Kerry game. There was only a kick of a ball at the end of it, and even though we were very disappointed, we're still in there. And we're coming on every year. I know Billy Morgan was happier with that game, even though we lost, than when we beat Kerry in the Munster final last year.

"Obviously we'd love to get back to Croke Park. But we can only look at Louth, can't look past them. I wasn't involved against Fermanagh a few years ago, but I know the lads were fully confident going up to that game, and were hockeyed off the pitch. But I know Billy had a three-year programme with us, and we are coming into our prime now."

One more notable addition this year is 6ft 7in full forward Michael Cussen, who despite being described in one quarter as the "poor man's Kieran Donaghy", has made a very definite impact on Cork's style of play. "We've great respect for him. I think he proved against Kerry how good he is. The one thing about him is he's not overawed by any occasion, or bottles it under pressure. He probably plays better in the tougher games.

"We're still not using him as well as we can, but we're working on that, and if the right ball goes in there, no one can compete with him in the air. He can well finish as well. The Cork game over the last few years has been to play the ball in, with the short hand pass. At least the ball is being floated in there, and if Cussen doesn't win it then it will go either way, and we can fight for it.

"But it's taking some time to get used to that, against Limerick, Tipp and Kerry, it did take a while. At some stages we were kicking from the half way, and it wasn't getting in there. And I know he likes the floating ball rather than anything up high. Because the backs can sit and judge the higher ball more."

One of the absentees for Saturday, however, is the suspended defender Noel O'Leary: "He's a loss, yeah, with his aggression towards this game. But more than any other year I think we have the players to come in for anyone. John Miskella came in the last day against Kerry, and did very well."

The thought of playing Kerry would clearly excite Masters and the whole of Cork.

"Well, they're the All-Ireland champions. They know how to master Croke Park as well, which is something we haven't done over the past couple of years. I know we're getting better every year, and I think there is a much better vibe in the team now, that we're there or thereabouts. It's really just about clicking."