Mattie Kenny admires pacy Cork, but rues hectic schedule as Dubs bow out
Sat, 07 Nov, 2020 – 21:21
Michael Moynihan
Dublin boss Mattie Kenny felt Cork’s edge in momentum was crucial in getting them over the line in Saturday night’s clash.
“My initial reaction is we allowed Cork open a bit of a lead halfway through that first half. I think they went five points up. We hurled well after that.
“But every time we got a score, they went down and got a score as well. We weren’t able to close that lead they had.
“And every time we got a couple of scores, they got a couple of scores as well.
“We felt halfway through the second half we needed a goal. We had a couple of opportunities, but we didn’t take any of them. If we got one of them, maybe that would have given us some momentum to claw them back fully.”
Kenny acknowledged Cork’s speed: “Obviously they have a lot of pace in their side. When we pushed up on them, they played in behind us a little bit. And when we dropped back, they played in front of us.
“They used the ball very, very well. But as I said, as well as they used it, that five or six-point lead is what they held for a long time.
“Even in the last quarter, we shot eight or nine wides in the last quarter alone. Our execution and our finishing wasn’t at the top level tonight.
“But on the night, you have to say Cork was the best team and deserved their victory.”
The Galway native pointed out that it was his side’s third game in two weeks.
“Three championship matches in two weeks, so obviously the little knocks and bruises are starting to add up.
“We were the only team out this weekend who has played three weekends in a row. That’s not an excuse but it was probably a contributory factor.
“You play a game and then you have to come back and recover. Then you have to start preparing for the next game and the next game.
“Getting three Championship matches at that level in two weeks, when you haven’t competed at that level, does have a knock-on effect on the team. So look, the guys, they showed massive character in all three games.
“They went out there, even there tonight, they never backed off. They kept going. Kept playing on the front foot. And when the game was going on, I thought we were getting better and better and really coming to terms with it.
“It’s just that we didn’t get that goal, that big score we needed, to get momentum going on our side.”
The Examiner
