Cork Versus Westmeath

Croí na hÉireann · March 11, 2008, 05:09:13 PM

All quiet in the Lake County since our last outing, hope that means we're focussed on Saturdays match as it will give us a fair idea of where we are headed this year. Webels are back the guts of a month, fitness will have improved since the Roscommon game (in which they put up a decent score), they need to get points on the board so they'll be going all out for this one. A win here and we're in with a serious chance of promotion...

Anyone any directions for Páirc Úi Rínn coming from Kinsale???

timmykelleher · March 12, 2008, 01:11:46 PM

Travel (Km) and then
to take total (Km)
0.0 Start out at Kinsale,Cork R605 0.0

0.2 Continue forward onto Pearse Street - R600 R600 0.2

5.6 Continue forward onto the R600 Entering Belgooly R600 5.8

4.3 Continue forward onto the R600 Entering Riverstick R600 10.0

10.2 At Airport Road Roundabout take the 2nd exit onto Kinsale Road - N27 N27 20.3

1.9 Continue forward onto Kinsale Road - N27 Entering Cork N27 22.2

1.4 At Kinsale Road Roundabout take the 4th exit, then merge onto South Ring Road - N25 N25 23.5

2.3 Branch left, then merge onto Well Road Uncl. 25.8

0.6 At roundabout take the 2nd exit onto Well Road Uncl. 26.5

0.6 At roundabout take the 1st exit onto Boreenmanna Road Lane Uncl. 27.1

Croí na hÉireann · March 12, 2008, 02:04:50 PM

Thanks Timmy, should've thought of Google Maps...

Found this on An Fear Rua... http://www.anfearrua.com/db.asp?a=addreply&fid=&tid=225497&max=

What's the best place to park around there??? Driving from Dublin tomorrow afternoon, likely to hit Cork by 5ish, is the South Ring Road gonna be bananas by then or is there a better way to head to Kinsale???

Mentalman · March 12, 2008, 06:26:41 PM

Quote from: Croí na hÉireann on March 11, 2008, 05:09:13 PM
A win here and we're in with a serious chance of promotion...

I'd be happy just to stay where we are. As we saw on previous years relegation dog fights are a bit energy and moral sapping. At least at this level we can try one or two lads out without the pressure of every game being seen as do and die by the supporters. Not that I care particularly about the league, but getting the drop is never great. Another home win and a point or two somewhere on the road and we should definitely be safe.

brokencrossbar1 · March 12, 2008, 06:43:37 PM

Croi, via the Ring Road is really you only way. Out by the Airport then. Where are you staying? I live beside Kinsale

timmykelleher · March 12, 2008, 11:57:52 PM

How good are Westmeath this year?

I saw an O'Byrne cup result where they took a pasting from Dublin.... Your one forward is out injured.... his only possible replacement (Denis Glennon) is taking time off/ returning to the panel.....

Then though you ran Dublin close in the league and beat Meath for the first time ever. Admittedly Meath are still recovering from the pasting Cork gave them in Croke park last year

Aslo unlike Colm Coyle Westmeath never seem to fear Cork... I seem to remember ye beating us in a Division 2 final a few years ago.

What should we expect on Saturday?

AN other · March 13, 2008, 09:18:25 AM

Quote from: brokencrossbar1 on March 12, 2008, 06:43:37 PM
Croi, via the Ring Road is really you only way. Out by the Airport then. Where are you staying? I live beside Kinsale

Brokencrossbar, do you know anywhere to stay around the Kinsale area you could recommend? Somewhere cheap and cheerful with no parking problems?

Mentalman · March 13, 2008, 11:24:27 AM

Quote from: timmykelleher on March 12, 2008, 11:57:52 PM
How good are Westmeath this year?

I saw an O'Byrne cup result where they took a pasting from Dublin.... Your one forward is out injured.... his only possible replacement (Denis Glennon) is taking time off/ returning to the panel.....

Then though you ran Dublin close in the league and beat Meath for the first time ever. Admittedly Meath are still recovering from the pasting Cork gave them in Croke park last year

Aslo unlike Colm Coyle Westmeath never seem to fear Cork... I seem to remember ye beating us in a Division 2 final a few years ago.

What should we expect on Saturday?

Noi we've never feared Cork, then we only ever meet in the League, so there's not a lot at stake in some ways. We've turned yee over in a League 2 final a few years back, and drawn in a game under lights in Park Uí Rinn, I think it might have been the first televised night game from there a few years back. I also remember a particularly bad tempered game played in Cusack in 1A a few years back, one of our few results that year. but as usual league history counts for nothing as you never know what stage squads are in or what experimentation is going on. I'd say Westmeath are a decent outfit up to and including midfield, 2 or 3 promising players mixed in with a lot of experience. From midfield forward it's hard to know. In Dessie and Denis we have some true cutting edge, but whether either will be playing will be hard to know. Other than them it's kind of slim enough pickings, but we've been holding our own, by virtue of the fact that none of the other teams have opened us up at the back yet. As for Saturday it's hard to know, it really depends on whether Cork's result at the rossies was genuine, or a combination of a Cork side with something to prove and A Roscommon side only getting into their stride now. I suppose we'll find out as we have both of yee in qucik succession. In truth I'd say we'd be delighted to get anything from the weekend game, I'm just hoping we continue to be hard to beat for now.

timmykelleher · March 13, 2008, 01:29:24 PM

Cork team named:
CORK (SF v Westmeath): A. Quirke; D. Duggan, G. Canty, K. O'Connor; N. O'Leary, G. Spillane, O. Sexton; N. Murphy, A. O'Connor; J. Miskella, P. O'Neill, K. McMahon; D. Goulding, M. Cussen, D. O'Connor.

Frank Casey · March 13, 2008, 10:29:46 PM

Quote from: timmykelleher on March 13, 2008, 01:29:24 PM
Cork team named:
CORK (SF v Westmeath): A. Quirke; D. Duggan, G. Canty, K. O'Connor; N. O'Leary, G. Spillane, O. Sexton; N. Murphy, A. O'Connor; J. Miskella, P. O'Neill, K. McMahon; D. Goulding, M. Cussen, D. O'Connor.

Some doubts about the fitness of both O'Neill and Cussen up front. Otherwise its as strong a team as Counihan could put out, Nemo or no Nemo players.

BTW whats with the motto about McGrath 2007 champions. Is that what ye went on strike for

AN other · March 14, 2008, 05:10:20 PM

Westmeath (NFL v Cork) - G. Connaughton; F. Boyle, K. Gavin, J. Keane; M. Ennis, D. Heavin, D. Healy; D. Duffy, M. Flanagan; D. Kelly, A. Mangan, D. O'Donoghue; M. Greene, T. Cleary, D. Glennon.

I'm looking forward to seeing how the defence deals with Cussen, in particular Kieran Gavin, they've coped well with anything that's been thrown at them so far this year.
Also interested in this Kelly lad, seems to have come from nowhere, hasn't featured in any of the league games so far.

shark · March 17, 2008, 09:53:58 AM

Quote from: AN other on March 14, 2008, 05:10:20 PM

I'm looking forward to seeing how the defence deals with Cussen, in particular Kieran Gavin, they've coped well with anything that's been thrown at them so far this year.

Well Gavin was superb once again, Cussen taken off with 15 mins remaining. Westmeath very unlucky, wins vital against Roscomman & Cavan now.

Croí na hÉireann · March 18, 2008, 12:26:57 PM

Quote from: brokencrossbar1 on March 12, 2008, 06:43:37 PM
Croi, via the Ring Road is really you only way. Out by the Airport then. Where are you staying? I live beside Kinsale

Rented a house off Friars Lodge, cheap as chips, certainly cheaped than the B&Bs around there... Lovely part of the country, pity about the accents

Have to say the road network down there is really top class, of maybe I've been living in Dublin too long...

Regarding the game, you'd wonder (and fear) what happened to Westmeath in the first half. Can only put it down to sitting on a bus for a few hours but sure how do the Kingdom manage it every year so??? We didn't emerge from the traps until Flan got the red card, very stupid to engage with Canty when he was on a yellow. Cork put every early opportunity over the bar and their self imposed exile certainly didn't do them any harm. Everyone was sluggish and we struggled to get the ball into the inside forwards. Gavin was exceptional, his man being nearly twice de size of him only really won the first ball cleanly that came in. Best Laker on the day though was Glennon, he destroyed the Cork half back line when he was moved out and scored a couple of beauties on the run. Good to see Dessie back as well and will we ever know if that was a point or not, the umpires certainly didn't anyway... O'Donoghue did well in midfield when moved there, if we could get another couple of quality forwards we'd be dangerous...

Good setup in Páirc Úi Rínn, think it was mentioned in the Tribune recently but the programmes were well worth the expenditure, especially when u consider what's available in Cusack Park...

AN other · March 18, 2008, 01:59:56 PM

Gavin certainly did well, as did the defence generally apart from a little loose play in the first half. Where it all seems to go horribly wrong when we're not playing well is past midfield. Countless times in the first half the ball was lost in the half forward line, the cork half back line seemed to be keeping position while the Westmeath half forward line were dropping back, I don't know if this was a tactic employed with the idea to draw the Cork half back line out in an attempt to leave Glennon inside with plenty of space, but if it was, it didn't work. It isn't the first time this year that the half forward line has been ineffective and it's something that needs sorting out.
Moving Flanagan into full forward was always a mistake in my opinion, in theory he's a good target man, but he was never going to get the better of Canty. If Flanagan isn't going to be played in midfield I'd stick him in the half forward line. There might also be a case for moving Glennon out to the half forward line, for most of the first half this was where he was getting on the ball anyway, and he really shone when moved out to the half forward line in the second half.
I'm sure Cork people will agree with me also when I say that the referee was terrible. I know the conditions weren't the best, but he was delaying calls, making the wrong calls and generally just being a nuisance for most of the game.