Reflecting on the Cork and Clare match in the second round of the Munster Championship provides a small preview of what we may expect this upcoming Sunday. In the previous round, 14 players from Cork’s semi-final line-up took the pitch from the start. Clare showed a similar level of consistency. Conor Leen made his Championship first appearance as a substitute and later, Tony Kelly was introduced to the team.
Looking closely at the previous Cork versus Clare match in Munster unveils some important insights. The match that took place on April 28th was spectacular, with Clare achieving a closely fought victory of 3-26 over Cork’s 3-24. Despite the exciting match, it did not garner much attention as it was largely unseen on GAAGo, but those who did follow it experienced a game full of momentum swings. In fact, throughout the entire summer, there was only one game with more combined points than this one, and it involved Cork defeating Limerick 3-28 to 3-26 at Páirc Uí Chaoimh just a few weeks later.
A critical turning point in the dynamic match between Cork and Clare was Sean O’Donoghue’s dismissal in the 51st minute, a time when Cork was maintaining a lead by a single point.
Following their disappointing performance against Waterford, Cork, under the supervision of Pat Ryan, dramatically reshuffled their squad with six personnel switching roles. This deviation was a significant change from his preferred line-up post the league campaign, but the team’s composition has held steady ever since.
One player who was missing in the clash against Clare was Mark Coleman. If Coleman takes the field this Sunday, he could present a vulnerability for Clare to exploit, as witnessed in the semi-final where Limerick took advantage of Coleman’s fouls during the second half battles for possession.
In the past, Ciaran Joyce played as a centre back. Tim O’Mahony had difficulty in the wing position contending with Peter Duggan, who was recognised as man of the match after an exceptional performance. Joyce, who pairs well with Duggan, will possibly be his point of contact on the field, as Rob Downey has claimed the centre-back position for himself. This raises some doubts about how Cork will select their team. Will Coleman get transferred to midfield to challenge Tony Kelly? This could result in a fitting competition, with Coleman potentially counteracting Kelly’s strategies.
Since their early season match, Clare has incorporated a new technique – repositioning Shane O’Donnell as centre forward at times. This strategy proved effective against Wexford, and helped Clare establish an early lead as Wexford’s formation became unaligned, largely influenced by Damien Reck’s instability.
While O’Donnell’s placement posed a considerable challenge for Kilkenny in the semi-finals, it didn’t affect the score much. Regardless of his location, O’Donnell has the ability to disrupt the game and Cork’s approach should aim to limit his impact. During the Munster game, he made a significant contribution scoring 1-1, assisting 1-3, and netting three free points. His direct effect on the game produced a result of 2-7. Both Kelly and O’Donnell switching between centre and full forward roles could put Cork’s defence to the test.
Meanwhile, Brian Lohan, at the opposite end of the field, is also faced with tough decisions regarding defensive arrangements. Some duels seem appropriate, while others might not. The crucial question lies in whether John Conlon can neutralize the effectiveness of Shane Barrett. During a lot of the Munster game, Barrett managed to draw Conlon away from the play. An intriguing aspect of this competition will be the puckout contest, a topic we will further delve into.
One conspicuous duel is between Alan Connolly and Adam Hogan. On their first encounter, Hogan succeeded in limiting Connolly’s influence, who managed to score two points against Conor Cleary around the twenty-second and twenty-fourth minute just before Hogan stepped in to enforce strict man-to-man marking. Hogan’s frustration was visible when he allegedly conceded a free point in the sixtieth minute, a point that Patrick Horgan successfully translated into a goal, to Clare’s dismay.
As Clare faces Declan Dalton, who tends to position himself deeper in the game and offers long-range shooting options, they have a unique challenge on their hands. The strategy also opens up an opportunity for the full forward line and a space into which Fitzgibbon can stride forward. A potential response might involve nudging Diarmuid Ryan to be more aggressive and bring Dalton into a defensive position. Ryan’s past in more assertive striking roles, notably in the Fitzgibbon Cup with Mary Immaculate College, suggest he might flourish in a wide-ranging role.
John Conlon could be another solution for Clare, having him pressure Dalton while Ryan covers the centre back position and focuses on Barrett. While Ryan played as the extra player in the final of the Clare/Wexford game, it must be noted that this was played against a weakened 14-man Wexford team.
It is foreseeable that Cathal Malone will be handed the responsibility of containing Fitzgibbon, a task that will fully engage him. The initial match-ups are projected to remain in line with past games, but tactical shifts during the game will become pivotal for both sides.
Examining the issue of Cork’s puckout, reference is made to a past match where Clare was able to disable this in their Munster game’s second half, thanks in part to Peter Duggan effectively blocking the Cork runners’ path. Clare managed to claim victory in 11 out of 21 occasions of Cork’s puck outs in the second half of the match, subsequently scoring 2-5 directly. While successful, this might have consequences for Clare, as Cork has started smartly using their puckout down the centre, which caused issues for Limerick twice this summer.
On Clare’s puckout, Duggan’s performance in the Munster Championship match was pivotal. With goalkeeper Eibhear Quilligan often targeting him, Duggan successfully handled five of Clare’s puckouts, and Clare gained 4 out of 9 breaks on others. This implies that a solid 64% of puckouts were aimed at Duggan and he was able to deliver.
Consider the sizeable outcome mirroring the extensive field they’re striking into. Clare successfully made a strategic move to isolate their opponent with a puckout in the 23rd minute, pulling eight players back to the deeper end of their territory. As a response, Cork mirrored their strategy, leaving Duggan completely unguarded with Tim O’Mahony. However, Clare’s relocation outside of targeting Duggan isn’t one of their strong suits; this is a tactic that Cork is likely to capitalise on.
Key Substitutions
Before sustaining a severe ACL injury the previous year, Ryan Taylor played a pivotal role in Clare’s strategy, mainly due to his possession and constant effort to enable others. Evidence of this can be seen in the 2023 Munster championship where he held onto a staggering 77% of all possessions. Upon his return in the semi-final against Kilkenny, Taylor handled the ball three times, resulting in two scores in his initial two possessions. Additionally, he took the initiative to transport the ball away from the defensive line in the game’s final play. His return brings a fresh dynamic to Clare’s possession strategy.
Ian Galvin, playing a more offensive position, has added to their score sheet, accruing 1-6 upon inclusion. How Clare utilises Aron Shanagher and the distinct threat he poses adds another layer to their game plan.
Cork also wields its own tools in their arsenal with their substitutions posing diverse challenges to the incoming players compared to those going off. For instance, the replacement of Dalton by Shane Kingston and Seamus Harnedy by Robbie O’Flynn isn’t a simple case of swapping like with like.
These changes have been thoroughly considered by Brian Lohan and his coaching staff. Kingston’s impact in the initial match against Limerick was considerable, and both of them have an intimidating pace. A collective score of 1-10 from the Championship in short playtime serves as a testament.
Expected Results
Both sides possess offensive threats which the other might find challenging. When reviewing the total Championship scores, it’s clear that Cork is the highest average scoring team per match, and Clare falls within the top three if we discount their poor shooting against Kilkenny. Each team has the poorest defence amongst the six qualifying provincial teams, suggesting we may witness a high-scoring spectacle.
In my opinion, Shane O’Donnell and Tony Kelly could pose a challenging threat to Cork, with Clare narrowly securing Liam’s victory. Paul O’Brien is a performance reviewer for The Performance Process (twitter.com/NoPlanBGAA).