MAYO v CORK:AT CROKE Park tomorrow, scene of some intense disappointments for both counties, Mayo and Cork know that a league title won't be the story of their seasons, whatever happens. John O'Mahony might be glad of a national trophy for the mantelpiece but he equally knows the real verdict on the county's resurgence will come in the months ahead.
Venue: Croke Park Throw-in: Tomorrow, 4pm On TV: TG4
Cork will be aware of the good recent correlation between NFL success and championship achievement and know their status as the coming force in football would be provisionally validated were they to win. But there are so many other issues for both teams.
Mayo don’t look transformed from the sides that have failed to impress in recent championships even though there is quite a change in personnel from the team that lost to Meath last August – assuming the selected 15 actually start, an assumption not universally shared in the county.
There haven’t, however, been any elemental players added to the team, which makes the performance in topping Division One all the more impressive for a team that was short-listed as relegation candidates at the start of the season.
Even the match they lost was purely because of squandermania against Dublin, which led to a one-point defeat, but generally there has been a harder resolution to the team and a willingness to contest the whole 70 minutes that has carried them to a string of big wins away from home – they are 100 per cent on their travels this league – in places as daunting as Tralee, Omagh, Derry and Cork.
Despite their reputation Cork are still trying to work out their best team. Conor Counihan hasn’t been helped by an obstructive injury list.
With Eoin Cadogan and Graham Canty both out injured and Derek Kavanagh experiencing a lot of trouble on Aidan O’Shea when the counties met in the divisional match two weeks ago, Michael Shields is named at full back.
He will, however, be playing in the half backs, his optimum position, and the edge of the square is likely to be entrusted to Jamie O’Sullivan, who is a clever footballer with some good underage credentials at full back. Whether his lack of experience might tell against him is a moot point but Counihan doesn’t have a whole lot of choice at the moment.
The Cork manager is missing Canty, John Miskella and Anthony Lynch from last year’s first-choice defence and that is the sector that has given the team most trouble whereas Mayo have the joint-meanest defence in Division One.
Centrefield will be significant. In the absence of Nicholas Murphy, Pearse O’Neill and Canty Cork won’t present the same towering landscape as when at full strength, giving the industrious Séamus O’Shea and the erratic Tom Parsons (or Ronan McGarrity, who may make an appearance) the chance to pressurise the weaknesses in Cork’s rearguard – and there will be pressure, as Mayo’s forwards have been busy, fast and productive, if not possessed of as much bulk as might help the overall impact.
One area where Mayo won’t be disadvantaged is that of pace and mobility, as the team looks well able to keep up with Cork, even if their ability to confront their opponents’ physical power is more suspect.
When the counties met in the last of the regulation fixtures, Mayo were comprehensively on top and kicked on after half-time to record a comfortable victory.
Counihan’s nine changes indicate that Cork weren’t at exactly full strength two weeks ago but if the changes at the back probably don’t improve things radically tomorrow’s attack is a lot more threatening.
The return of Daniel Goulding and Paul Kerrigan adds considerably to the fire-power. The pair have been the top scorers from play, their combined 5-34 accounting for 40 per cent of the team’s total (which is the highest in the division) to date, matching the combined output of all the 11 other starting forwards.
A year ago in the Division Two final Cork avenged the divisional defeat by Monaghan by launching a display of power and pace that presaged their best moments of the summer to come.
Mayo will be confident going into this but Cork have the capacity to go up a gear or two and that will decide the day.
CORK: P O'Shea, R Carey, M Shields, E Cotter; N O'Leary, P Kissane, J O'Sullivan; A O'Connor, A Walsh; F Goold, D O'Connor, P Kelly; D Goolding, C Sheehan, P Kerrigan.
MAYO: D Clarke; C Barrett, G Cafferkey, L O'Malley; D Vaughan, T Howley, K McLoughlin; S O'Shea, T Parsons; A Moran, A Dillon, T Mortimer; C Mortimer, A O'Shea, M Ronaldson.
