Tony Considine: Without huge Cork crowd, All-Ireland hurling quarter-finals would have been a disaster

IS it just me or is everyone else feeling the same? There was something really lacking in Thurles for Saturday afternoon games, even around the place before the matches started, the atmosphere was poor. 

It didn’t feel like two All-Ireland quarter-finals at the weekend. Very little buzz around the place even when the stadium filled up a bit, which was more Cork supporters than the other three counties put together. It’s no wonder the GAA are rubbing their hands and counting the money when Cork are involved, such a big following. 

Even when these games started I didn’t feel real bite and intensity. Sometimes they felt like challenge matches or even worse, like the opening of a new field. 

And I have to say the standard of both games didn’t help. The hurling was poor in both, while there were a lot of points, most of these were got without any pressure being applied. 

Is there too much stand-off hurling now? Championship should never be like that. It should be all go, plenty of physicality and intensity.

The first two teams into action were Cork and the Dubs. This started very tamely with both teams strolling around taking scores as they pleased. 

From a Cork point of view, I think the break from the Munster round-robin has not done them any good. The momentum they had built up against Limerick and Tipperary seems to have been diluted a bit. 

Sometimes when form is good, you are far better playing matches as I believe that gives more momentum and you are constantly tuned in. I’m sure Pat Ryan and his management team are well aware that Cork have not reached the same heights in the last two games. They were hurling a lot better when the real pressure was on. Games they had to win to survive in this championship, and they did that brilliantly. 

Can they reach the same heights going forward to an All-Ireland semi-final against the All-Ireland champions Limerick? That is for another day but only two short weeks away.

Cork were good and bad here. Ciarán Joyce controlled things from centre-back, and O’Leary, Downey and O’Donoghue were solid in the full-back line, dealing easily with the Dublin attack. 

Mind you, the Dublin attack was way out the field leaving one inside forward on three defenders at times, which was never going to work. How Dublin used that tactic for so long is beyond belief. 

It was a bit different late in the game when they started running at the Cork defence as they had them under pressure in the last 10 minutes. Dublin missed a few goal-scoring opportunities and had a lot of bad wides. 

Worrying times for the Cork management. A lot of corrections to be worked on.

The Cork attack got some very good scores, scoring 0-26, with Shane Barrett leading the attack and causing all sorts of problems for the Dubs. 

Declan Dalton was having one of his best games for Cork getting some very good scores, both from play and his long-distance frees which he struck superbly. Declan is an all-action player as well, with plenty of bulk and size. 

Cork’s two other big men in the attack, Brian Hayes and especially Alan Connolly were well held. And a very disappointing thing from a Cork point of view was the lack of goals. 

Patrick Horgan had one great chance but delayed too long to get his shot off. Cork need to be creating and scoring goals, which lifts their supporters. 

Alan Connolly has not scored at all in the last two games. He needs to get back into form again, and quickly, for Cork to have any chance of doing well the next day. But he is good enough to do that. 

Sometimes you get days and it just does not go right, but you have got to make it right. 

PRESSURE

I thought Cork also struggled a bit at midfield where Conor Burke for Dublin was the outstanding player on view, scoring 0-4. 

The good thing for Cork was they never looked like losing. The GAA smiling again with another big payday coming up when the big house will be packed to the rafters for Cork and Limerick in the semi!