Old failings came back to haunt Cork on Saturday evening and Kieran Kingston has a lot of work to do over the next couple of weeks.
It was a masterclass from Waterford, who gave their neighbours a reality check ahead of the Munster Championship. They were very worthy winners and, indeed, should have won by more.
Defensively they were tight and never looked like conceding a goal outside of a first half Cork chance that Shaun O’Brien saved from Shane Barrett.
Waterford had numbers back and built from there. They varied it by either shooting from long range or hitting the inside line, thereby taking the Cork half-back line out of the game.
They also won the midfield battle reasonably comfortably, which surprised me given Darragh Fitzgibbon’s recent form.
Waterford set the agenda in so many respects. They made Cork go long with their puckouts, which wouldn’t be their preference, and mopped up a lot of breaks from long ball.
Cork’s strength is running the ball from the half-back line to midfield and Waterford dealt with this better than I thought they would.
And, after the way they were opened up in last year’s All-Ireland final, Cork’s greatest fears materialised once again as Waterford went through them for four goals and could have had another couple too.
I thought that Cork had sorted this issue during the League but clearly they haven’t. They simply must tighten up at the back. You can have all the attacking systems you want but if there isn’t an effective structure at the other end of the field, it’s worthless.
Cork supporters are great and they give their team terrific backing but it’s 17 years now since they last won the All-Ireland. They won’t care what system is put in place at this stage once it allows them to be successful.
So much of what Cork are doing across the board at the moment is positive, from their underage sides right up to Kevin O’Donovan as CEO.
And Kieran Kingston has done a decent job as manager but he needs to ensure that Cork are not shipping goals to the top two or three teams as they have been doing.
Waterford look to have the balance right. Stephen Bennett was on fire for them. His finishing, vision and workrate were all top class.
In fairness to Sean O’Donoghue, he kept Dessie Hutchinson quiet for most of the game but Waterford had threats elsewhere. Neil Montgomery’s size, power and pace caused Cork endless grief. As I said, the six-point margin didn’t do their dominance justice.
But I expect that Cork will take more lessons from it and their defeat, and the nature of it, really hots things up for the visit of Limerick on Sunday week.
Limerick appear to have been timing their run which is understandable but fraught with danger. Cork just cannot afford to expose themselves like they did on Saturday night and in last year’s All-Ireland final. So there’s a lot on the line for both teams.
Waterford, meanwhile, will be the hottest of favourites against Tipperary and if I was Liam Cahill I’d have locked the League trophy away on Saturday night and told the lads that we’ll celebrate it later in the year. Tipp will be widely written off and that makes them dangerous.
Gordon not too flash with the whistle
Liam Gordon has a reasonably good game in the middle for the League final.
He should have let the play develop for a Waterford goal in the second half rather than whistle them back for a free, while he blew a few soft frees in the second half.
But, in fairness, he tried to let the game flow as well so, all in all, it wasn’t a bad day for him.
Let managers speak to refs
There's a lot to admire about how rugby referees interact with the teams that they officiate and something the GAA should take heed of.
In the recent Six Nations, for example, the coaches had an opportunity to briefly chat with the match referee ahead of the game, where he will set out his stall on how he intends to ref it while taking a few questions in the presence of the refereeing coordinator.
There’s also an opportunity for a debrief the day after the game. It’s important from a manager’s point of view to understand how the referee saw it.
In hurling, some refs are very good communicators though others look at you with contempt when you query something, even if it’s done in a respectful manner - though I accept that that’s something I haven’t always managed to do.
But I have spoken to referees privately in the aftermath of games in a conciliatory manner and it’s been positive for all parties. There should be accountability on both sides and there’s no need for referees to be snotty as dismissive about it - provided it’s done in the right way.
Having short pre- and post-match briefings for referees and managers, like they do in rugby, is something the GAA would do well to look into.
Furthermore, I also believe that referees should have the same team of, not just umpires, but linesmen throughout the year so they can build a dynamic and trust with them, which I don’t believe exists between all rival referees when they mix and match as linesmen.
Hard work starts now for Westmeath
It was great for Westmeath to get back to Division One - but they’re facing into a tough Leinster campaign now.
It won’t be easy for them back in the top flight next year either but have they learned from their year out? Hopefully they have but, as Offaly found out, it’s a difficult gap to bridge.
Cork lads right to stand firm in venue fallout
I fully back the Cork footballers and their insistence that their game with Kerry be played at Páirc Uí Rinn.
There was a similar issue with Waterford and Walsh Park a few years back but matches eventually went back there and rightly so.
Home advantage is a massive thing - we got the benefit of it in Wexford against Kilkenny in 2017 and a huge breakthrough victory for us - and it’s very hard to give it away. If I was managing that Cork team I’d be doing everything in my power to keep hold of it.
As the Cork lads know only too well, it’s hard enough playing Kerry at the best of times without handing over home advantage to them as well.
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