Elite sport can be an exhilarating place when you win. It can be a demoralizing and desolate place when you are pipped to the finishing line. There are no words for a team when the word under-performance is mentioned.
How can one start to describe the Cork senior hurling team second half performance? Hawkeye Sidekick reflects on this and others sporting collapses in this piece.
What causes sporting collapses?
Sporting collapses are dramatic and unpredictable. They come with without warning when it happens, there is nothing that can be done. The sporting gods are set in motion. There is no good ending to a sporting collapse. It can happen because of physical, psychological or environmental factors.
What did we witness yesterday at Croke Park?
All the accolades should first go to the Tipperary management and players after their All-Ireland SHC final win. They executed their game plan to perfection. Tipperary management team made a shrewd decision to adopt a sweeper. They learned from their earlier losses to Cork.
Trailing by six points (1-16 to 0-13), Tipperary work rate visibly increased. Their ability to dominate turnovers (70% in the second half) and middle third play set up victory. Their ability to play through the lines and when to go direct was outstanding. Tipperary’s team profile shone through. An unrelenting performance from the Premier County.
Tipperary management astute in moving Ronan Maher into the full back line to quell Brian Hayes. Willie Connors switch to mark Declan Dalton was notable. Bryan O’Mara, Craig Morgan and Eoghan Connolly played the sweeper role to perfection.
As Tipperary soared in the decisive third quarter, Cork management and players froze. Cork’s past failures in this final quickly emerged. Old wounds opened up for all to see. Tipperary asked the question of Cork in the third quarter and there was no response.
This Cork video analysis review will be painful. If you are from the Cork team, you need to go through this process.
The decision to leave Eoin Downey on in the second half is a massive blunder on the sideline. Downey walking the tightrope with the opening half yellow card. Cork management indecisiveness punished as John McGrath won a penalty. Liam Gordon had no choice but to send the player off.
In all my days of watching hurling, this Cork second half performance is unprecedented. It even eclipses Limerick’s All Ireland collapse of 1994 (more on that later). This Cork non-performance came out of nowhere. Six points clear at the break without playing well. This was perfectly setup for Cork to deliver a victory.
Patrick Horgan had an early second half free opportunity. It would have opened the margin to seven points. The strike was nervy and unconvincing. Cork looking to protect their lead than drive on allowed Tipperary to create a middle third stranglehold.
Did the Cork players and management think about the finishing line too soon? Focus was lost coming out of the dressing rooms. This was not in the script. Cork thinking that Tipperary would not get back into this contest. Tipperary punched Cork in the face early and often. Cork suddenly was beleaguered on the ropes.
Cork’s leadership mantra all year dissolving before our very eyes. Cork management in a huddle struggling to crack the Tipperary setup. Cork players reacting to the Cork management’s indecision. The players also sensing the clear anguish from the Cork fans in Croke Park. The game unraveled quickly. The ending was brutal.
The disappointing aspect from a neutral perspective was the lack of leadership from Cork on the sideline. There was also no fight on the pitch. Shane Barrett’s point in response to John McGrath’s opening Tipperary goal indicated a tit for tat end to the game. The opposite happened.
Cork’s work rate in the tackle reduced to a whimper in the second half. Tipperary players breaking through Cork tackles and creating player overlaps with ease. Tipperary creating scoring opportunities at will.
Cork incapable of stopping the tide, past All Ireland SHC final wounds opened in the full back and goalkeeping positions. No Cork player looked to slow the game with injury to break the momentum. Heads scrambled. Cork management incapable of steering their side off the jaded rocks of defeat.
This Cork second half performance capitulation must rank as one of the biggest Ireland sporting collapses ever. Only two points scored in the second half. This will take Cork considerable time to recover from.
I think back instantly to 1994 as the last major hurling final collapse. Limerick in a strong position heading into the closing minutes. This final is affectionately known as the ‘five-minute final’ given the Offaly 2-5 scoring spree to finish off the final.
Limerick were shell shocked. In the 1996 All Ireland SHC final, Wexford inflicted more mental and physical scars. They won with fourteen players. Limerick failing to learn from their Offaly final loss.
There are probably other hurling fixtures within provincial championships which I am missing. 1968 saw Wexford erase a ten-point deficit to Tipperary in the All-Ireland SHC final. The dramatic drop in Cork performance though is unique for all the wrong reasons.
We can look at other stories for tales of collapse. Golf has seen plenty of tribulations with Greg Norman (Augusta Masters 1996) and Jean Van de Velde (1999 British Open). Jimmy White’s 1994 World Snooker championship final loss to Stephen Hendry was a traumatic watch.
Jana Novotna’s 1993 Wimbledon Ladies singles final collapse when 4-1 up in the final set. Newcastle United’s 1994-95 EPL title race collapse with the infamous Kevin Keegan postgame rant living long in the memory.
Gavin Hastings’ 1991 Rugby Union penalty miss against England in a World Cup semi-final. Every outcome brutally played out in front of a captivated sporting audience.
The hope is that Cork can rebuild and get over the line. The wounds of this second half performance will take considerable time to heal. Tipperary played with freedom and controlled precision and aggression. Cork played the final with the weight of expectation on their shoulders. The pressure too much to bare and the unit folded.
Cork can get back to the All-Ireland SHC final. They are a talented side. History will show how Jana Novotna secured that coveted Wimbledon crown in 1998. This is a success story in overcoming adversity, others outlined did not rebound.
It is down to the team unit to handle the clear performance issues seen yesterday. Only Cork hurling management and players can right the wrongs moving ahead. This will hurt. Sporting collapses are savage to watch but there can be redemption for those brave enough to learn and evolve.