Kerry play host to Cork

02 Jun 2010

Ahead of the Cork versus Kerry in Killarney this Sunday, Christy O’Connor looks back at the recent history between these two teams and highlights the importance of a win for both these All-Ireland contenders.

In the immediate aftermath of Cork’s convincing win over Kerry in Pairc Ui Chaoimh in last year’s Munster semi-final replay, most media analysts referred to the dawn of one era and the end of another, in a similar manner to the analogy made after Cork’s emphatic win over Kerry in the replayed 1987 Munster final, which heralded the beginning of Cork football’s modern renaissance while also ending Kerry’s ‘Golden Years’.

The major difference this time around though, is that there is a back-door and Kerry came back to defeat Cork in the All-Ireland final. It was the ultimate nightmare for Cork – especially after they’d beaten them so easily early in the summer – but that All-Ireland final also highlighted how much Kerry had learned from their previous All-Ireland defeats earlier in the decade.

The fact that Cork had 55 attacks to just 39 for Kerry showcased Kerry’s devastating economy - they’d five scores from their first five shots at the target – but it also highlighted the kind of game Kerry made it. With their mass defence, eight Cork shots at the target in the second half were from really low-percentage conversion areas, and they didn’t convert any of them. Much of Cork’s real incisive attacking running last season was spearheaded through Pearse O’Neill but he only made nine plays and was never allowed carry the ball more than a handful of yards.

New footballing systems come and go, the machine rages on and Kerry still keep bagging All-Irelands. Given their mid-season crisis last year, their All-Ireland success was one of Kerry’s sweetest but the manner in which they won proved that Kerry had finally embraced the entire range of principles and styles which have defined All-Ireland successes in an epoch-changing decade. Last year’s final was the first time in living memory that an All-Ireland final failed to produce a score in the last 13 minutes. Yet it was also the first time in the decade that Kerry locked down a tight All-Ireland final in the last quarter.

The fact that Cork and Kerry have met so often in the last six seasons has taken some of the gloss off Sunday’s meeting. However, this game is massive for one reason in particular; the law of averages surely means that the loser will not enjoy the same luck of the draw which Kerry got last year. This time around, the loser may have to travel away to Celtic Park, Ballybofey, Clones, or some venue where it will not be easy to win. Avoiding those draws kept Kerry alive last season.

After losing so many big names from last season – Darragh O Sé, Tadhg Kennelly, Diarmuid Murphy, Tommy Walsh – it didn’t look like Kerry could compete with Cork this season, especially when Cork cantered to a league title. Yet Kerry are in far better shape now than they were when they met Cork last June. They have the same defence as last year’s All-Ireland, while Kieran Donaghy is back after an injury-plagued season last year. Moreover, Cork hasn’t won in Killarney since 1995. Surely Kerry can’t do a number on them again? If Cork is serious about finally winning an All-Ireland, they need to embrace the lessons of last year’s All-Ireland. And they need to make a big statement on Sunday against a Kerry team which means serious business.

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Christy O'Connor has worked in the national newspaper industry for over ten years and now writes primarily for the Irish edition of The Sunday Times. A former member of the Clare senior hurling panel, he is the author of the critically acclaimed hurling book 'Last Man Standing'. He has also written 'The GAA Quiz Book 1' and the 'The GAA Quiz Book 2'.

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