The buzz returned to Cork hurling on Saturday night. They flocked to Páirc Uí Rinn to worship their hero and by throw in the place was humming with the only surprise being that the game didn’t need to be delayed to accommodate the streams of supporters.
Even with a full strength team, Waterford would have struggled to contain a home side feeding off the carnival atmosphere. In the first half this Cork team played with a swagger that can create problems for anybody. From an early stage Conor Lehane looked ready to live up to his billing and deliver something special. His audacious point, where he controlled the sliotar while falling to the ground and then turning to shoot over the bar, was an obvious stand out moment. Apart from his point taking, he also made an incredible catch during the second half which deserved a score to come off it. Lehane stole the show but Pa Cronin, Cathal Naughton and Paudie O’Sullivan posed a constant threat with their pace, strength and above all clever link up play.
While that first half offered plenty of cause for concern from a Waterford perspective, the bigger issue remains a list of absentees well into double figures. Getting them back to full fitness for the concluding rounds of the league should be the priority in the short term. The four changes from the published team weakened Michael Ryan’s hand so severely that a win looked a very slim possibility even before the throw in. With Philip Mahony and Stephen Daniels forced to deputise in the full back line, Cork’s movement and intelligent use of possession opened gaping holes at will in that opening half. Up front Shane Walsh failed to win his battle for fitness and despite a bright start the Rebel defence got to grips with Waterford’s attacking threat thereafter. While the Cork forward line created confusion with their off the ball running and support play, the same unpredictability wasn’t evident in the Waterford ranks although things did pick up in the second period. Despite the best efforts of Pauric Mahony, Martin O’Neill and Gavin O’Brien off the bench, the spark that someone like John Mullane, Eoin Kelly or a fit Shane Walsh offers close to goal never materialised. The casualty list has hit all areas of the field and any county would struggle in those circumstances.
Of course a number of aspects continue to frustrate supporters and one of those was the lacklustre first half performance. Despite the fact that Waterford trailed by ten points at the interval, they actually bossed the puck out stats. Unfortunately they also turned over the ball on far too many occasions especially around the half forward line. This can be put down to a lack of sharpness which also manifested itself in a poor first touch and a wides tally of 12. Many of those misses were inexcusable and could have led to a more competitive finish. Defensive lapses also resulted in two of Cork’s goals while the ball broke kindly for Paudie O’Sullivan to rattle home the third. The Michael Walsh debate also lingers on with Christy O’Connor offering a sharp assessment in the Sunday Times. He noted that “Walsh was clearly struggling to adjust to his relocation to centre forward after a couple of outstanding seasons at centre back. That was evident in his striking at times when he had his back to goal.” Meanwhile, Donal O’Grady believes that Seamus Prendergast’s ball winning abilities should be utilised at number 11 which would allow Walsh to resume his centre back role. At this stage, the management team need to reassess if they are maximising the potential from both Walsh and Kevin Moran in their current positions. They obviously felt the need to move the Stradbally man into centre forward to give some presence and experience to that sector of the field but at the moment he appears uncomfortable.
On the flip side, the resilient second half showing supplied some cause for optimism. Staring down the barrel of a gun at twelve points in arrears, Waterford refused to wilt on the resumption to cut the lead to five at one stage. Ten different players found their way onto the score sheet in the process. Making their first league appearances, Martin O’Neill and Gavin O’Brien both showed enthusiastically for the ball and should be allowed to build on that form in the next couple of rounds. Pauric Mahony, despite his hectic schedule, created for others and picked off five points which kept John Gardiner on the back foot before he was substituted early in the second half. His form with UCC also indicates that he is not happy to sit back on the progress he made in 2011. Stephen Molumphy and Paul O’Brien grafted hard throughout at centre field and will probably be retained for the next outing.
With Kilkenny looking menacing against Tipperary, round two promises another searching test of Waterford’s limited resources. Noel Connors, Aidan Kearney and Shane O’Sullivan all seem poised to return for that one but it’s only Mullane that will bring the buzz into an unforgiving league campaign both on and off the field.
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