Cork and Meath's high ceiling and low floor

CORK VIEW Rebels capable of mixing it with the best on their day

In his Leinster final analysis, Shane McEntee suggested that Meath currently possess a higher ceiling than Louth, but a lower floor, writes Stephen Barry.

When they are on, they can take down Dublin. But when they are off, they can fall to lower-ranked opposition.

McEntee could equally have been talking about the Royals’ next opponents, Cork.

On their day, John Cleary’s side could take out an All-Ireland contender. But they have desperately struggled for consistency.

In his first year as permanent manager, back in 2023, John Cleary's Cork fell to defeat against Clare but turned around to shock Mayo. Last year, they stunned Donegal on home soil but couldn’t follow through to top their group. They limped out of the championship after a drab affair with Louth. In back-to-back seasons, they have been sent out the exit door with just 1-8 to their name.

Equally, their league performances have flirted with relegation or the Tailteann Cup trapdoor before belatedly producing a sequence of positive results. When they beat a wasteful Meath side in January, it was Cork’s first winning start to Div 2 since their top-flight relegation in 2016.

Their recent relationship with Kerry demonstrates their ability to rise to the occasion. They have never been found wanting for fight against their traditional rivals under Cleary. However, each encounter over the past three seasons has resulted in a one-score defeat.

When they last got one over on their Munster foes in 2020, they flopped in the provincial final against Tipperary. Cork’s consistent inconsistency in a nutshell. They came close again on a greasy night at Páirc Uí Chaoimh last month. The Rebels twice trailed by seven points but responded with unanswered streaks of 0-7 and 1-5.

They leaned heavily on two-pointers for their resurgence. Brian O’Driscoll has slotted in at half-back and raised 10 orange flags this year. Mark Cronin, Brian Hurley, Seán McDonnell, Eoghan McSweeney, and Cathail O’Mahony have all proven their precision from beyond the arc.

They kicked six doubles that evening, but their accuracy deserted them in extra-time as the teams were reduced to 14-a-side. Cork sprayed nine wides in those 20 minutes as their conversion rate slipped to 29%. Kerry took just four shots and stuck all four. That was the difference.

Kerry didn’t chase two-pointers, even though the Leesiders habitually leaked orange flags during the league. Cork and Meath both allowed 27 in seven games. A stern test of each other’s arc defence awaits.

Over the winter, much was made of the Rebel exodus. Eight players left the panel. Three retired, three opted out, one went travelling, and one switched to hurling.

But of those, only two were regulars: corner-back Kevin Flahive and sharp-shooter Steven Sherlock. Even then, Sherlock had grown frustrated by a lack of starts. Under the new rules, his kicking range is badly missed.

Injuries compounded those absentees with Hurley, Conor Corbett, Seán Powter, Ian Maguire, Maurice Shanley, Tommy Walsh, and Luke Fahy missing for extended spells. By the Kerry clash, all seven had either returned or were returning to training.

Cleary prefers to work with a tight-knit unit. For instance, Colm O’Callaghan has started all 39 of Cleary’s games as manager across league and championship.

Matty Taylor, a goal-scorer in the league win over Meath, would’ve started all 39 but missed one league match in 2023 at late notice.

Despite the churn, nine of Cleary’s charges have started all nine games this year. Half-forward McDonnell ranks among them in his debut year. Rookie corner-backs Seán Brady and Neil Lordan enjoyed an extended run of starts. Brady will miss the Meath match due to suspension. Amid the departures, they gained one player against the head from the hurlers. Just two months after his brother Jack made the reverse switch, Conor Cahalane joined the footballers after being cut from Pat Ryan’s panel. The dual star impressed in Castlehaven’s run to an All-Ireland semi-final.

Their defensive spine centres around recent All-Star nominees Daniel O’Mahony and Rory Maguire. Former Galway manager Kevin Walsh’s overload kick-outs target their twin towers of O’Callaghan and Ian Maguire.

Up front, Chris Óg Jones is a major goal threat, flanked by their array of white- and orange-flag merchants.

“We know at our best that we can trouble any team,” said Cleary following the extra-time defeat to Kerry. “We nearly got there and, on another day, we might have.”

They will get another day, too, as the draw pitted them against the Kingdom in round 2, back on Leeside. Meath will meet Jack O’Connor’s side in the final round, while Cork face Roscommon.

Given the fixture list, both Rebels and Royals will be eyeing maximum points from their opener at Páirc Tailteann on Saturday (3pm).

Cleary and Robbie Brennan won’t take too many lessons from their league meeting into the rematch. That open and entertaining contest was the first played under the new rules. It was an experimental outing. The only two-pointers were scored from frees. The overlapping goalkeepers have since been penned in.

While Meath dominated much of the play, they missed half of their 40 attempts between wides and shots dropped short. Cork executed the majority of theirs.

That day, Cork’s shooting performance was closer to their ceiling. Meath’s was nearer to their floor. Whoever brings more consistency should prevail, both in Navan and for Group 2 progression.