Young pretenders show true grit

The summer has thrown up some tremendous games, none more so than this. At the end you just have to feel sorry for the team that loses. Cork, though, were certainly deserving winners, most significantly for their ability to hang in there under the great pressure that Offaly put on them.

We saw some fabulous hurling by both sides in very bad conditions and it took great commitment and heart from this young Cork team to reach the All-Ireland final. The champions are gone, but they certainly went down fighting. They just didn't put enough on the scoreboard and at the end appeared that bit tired. Cork ended the stronger, showing more self-belief and with an exceptional fitness level which saw them through.

One of Cork's greatest assets down through the years is the way they can contain the opposition and always stay within reach. We clearly saw that here as Offaly only had a one-point lead at the break, even though they started off much the better of the two team. Offaly made the most of the wind advantage, but Cork hung in, mostly through the free-taking of Joe Deane.

Still, Cork didn't start particularly well. That may have been their inexperience, but I feel that Offaly were on a mission to prove themselves because they feel, as All-Ireland champions, there has been a lack of respect for their talents. All the time, however, Cork proved capable of holding up under the pressure of seeing the other team on top. We saw them do it against Clare in the Munster final and again they made that count here.

One problem for Offaly was that they conceded a lot of frees. Whether that had to do with the awful conditions I don't know. But even with all the rain, the skill factor from both sides was tremendous. There were countless displays of brilliant passing, flicking and running off the ball. In particular, I thought that some of the things John Troy did were extraordinary.

Even though it wasn't a great first half for Cork, they were just that point down at the interval and with the wind in the second half they must have been reasonably pleased. Within a couple of minutes they were three points up. That was a remarkable spell, but they probably got a telling-off from Jimmy Barry-Murphy. The half backs had to do a better job of closing down the Offaly half forward line.

Before the game I felt that a lot would depend on the Offaly halfback line and they performed extremely well, no doubt about it. How Hubert Rigney and Kevin Martin managed to play so well after their injuries was incredible, but it shows that mind over matter can count for a lot. Brian Whelahan was exceptional throughout.

Joe Dooley was that bit off the pace all during the game. When he got the ball he was that fraction slow and not getting it away quickly enough. I know Fergal Ryan did a great job in denying him space, but Dooley at his best can always make room and put the ball over the bar.

Cork's ability to stay focused when things were going against them made such a difference. They constantly ran at the Offaly backs in the second half and for the last 10 minutes Offaly didn't score. They had chances, but some of their forwards didn't play at their best and the team paid the price.

Brian Corcoran was especially important for Cork towards the end. When they needed his experience he dominated the high ball and came forward to keep the attack in motion. Ovearall, though, I would be a little bit worried about the Cork forwards in that they relied a lot on Deane for the scores, even though the others picked up a point or two. The few changes did work well - especially bringing on Alan Browne who added some bulk in the forwards which benefited the likes of Sean McGrath.

If you look at the last 20 minutes then you have to say that Cork were the better team. They never lost heart, even when Johnny Pilkington came through in the last minute with a goal chance. But when things are going wrong there is nothing you can do and the ball just went wide. Still, the Cork defence was getting stronger all the time and that came from confidence, especially since they saw their chance to win it. I don't think Jimmy Barry-Murphy will be completely satisfied with the game, but the All-Ireland final is the time to play the perfect game.

This is probably the end of an era for the Offaly team, especially the likes of Joe Dooley. There comes a time when the legs won't move fast enough, but all of them have given great service to the game this decade and they deserve great credit for everything they've done.

In an interview with Ian O'Riordan