Cork minor boss Keith Ricken positive despite ten-point reversal to Kerry

Irish Independent

07-05-2025

Indeed, thanks to an early Donagh Flynn goal, the Rebels were four points to the good, and eventually going in at the interval on level terms. A third-quarter Kingdom scoring blitz put paid to the hosts' chances of victory, but there were green shoots in the performance.
'I wouldn't say disappointed with the display, I would say disappointed with the result. We had good patches today, we tried to move the ball forward, we tried to kick the ball, but it was our end product. We kicked some terrible wides, and we missed four frees, and decisions like that,' he said.
'We should have been up at half-time and, even at the start of the second half, we had two or three goal chances, and we didn't take them. At this level, if you spill balls, you're going to be punished on the break.
'What was disappointing for me was that we conceded 2-18 at the end. We conceded a goal that we shouldn't have conceded, and then they kicked a few points, that were probably a bit too easy. I'm disappointed that we went in on ourselves a bit, but that happens with young lads.
'We did play on the front foot, and we tried to kick the ball more, and we tried to play more attractive football, but that takes time. You need a few games under your belt. We have another game next week which is, ultimately, the game.'
Ricken's charges make the road trip to Semple Stadium in Thurles to play Tipperary next Monday evening (7pm) and, in a do-or-die scenario, the Cork supremo knows that his side will have to be more clinical in front of the posts if they are to progress.
'If we can get over next week, and get into a Munster final, that means we're into an All-Ireland quarter-final,' he said.
"The more games these fellas play the better they will probably become. There are lads gone in there who are disappointed with their performance, which is good, and other lads that played well.
'We have a bit more work to do. No, you couldn't [see a ten-point defeat coming at half-time] but, at this level, you can see it if you don't do your bits and pieces. We had opportunities, and we spilled a few balls, and made a few silly mistakes.
'One or two decisions go against you, and I'm not saying anything about the referee, but there might be a decision where I thought it was for us, and they thought it was for them, and then all of a sudden you're four points down, or you're six points down.
ADVERTISEMENT
Learn more
'We gave them a couple of scores in-a-row and, at any level, you can't do that. They'll be disappointed with that part of it, which is good. You want them to be disappointed but, at the same time, you don't want them to be dejected, because I did think we tried to play good football at times.
'They never looked like they were being overrun but, if you make mistakes at this level, you will be punished. Up front, we kicked a lot of ball into the forward line tonight, and it came out a bit easy. We made a few bad choices of shots.
'Rory [Twohig], who is normally very dependable, had an off night tonight, but he's only a young lad of 16 years of age, he's underage again next year, so that can happen. That's learning for him too. I'd be hoping he has his shooting boots on the next night, and the other lads have their shooting boots on.'
Of course, Tipperary have played three more games thus far than Cork, which is certainly an issue for Ricken. At the same time, his side (and Kerry) knew the scenario before a ball was kicked, and they just have to deal with the hand they've been dealt.
'It makes a huge difference. We're going into this as underdogs, as far as we see it, in lots of ways. We're not playing round-robins, for some reason. Then, all of a sudden, we're waiting, and every other team has got momentum.
'They know their team, they know their subs, we're still finding our momentum, and our team. With young lads, that changes overnight. That's the hand we're dealt with, and that's the hand we knew we were going in with, so we have to train accordingly.
'Our training sessions are normally good, our panel is big, we've a 15-a-side match every night we go training, and that's all we can do. We can do our damnedest with what we have.
'I'm not complaining because we're in the middle of it now, but it is something that, at the end of it, they should look at this. Every young fella, at the end of the year, should be saying that he got four or five games, and I think we probably need to look at that. That's not for today though.'
Tipperary beat Waterford first day out (1-16 to 1-6) before coming a cropper against Limerick (2-14 to 1-12). Rebounding successfully, they have enjoyed back-to-back victories over Clare, both by narrow two-point margins, to take up their place in the provincial semi-final.
'Our concentration now is on next week. We have Tipperary away, which will be a tough game, make no bones of it. We played Tipperary earlier in the year, and we were at the pin of our collar.
'Last year Kerry played Tipperary and I think at half-time it was level pegging, or very close with just a point or so in it. They're now a seasoned team, but we have a very good bunch of lads, a very good bunch of people supporting them, and they're a credit to their clubs.'
In the wider picture, Ricken is not all doom and gloom about the future of Cork football, despite their recent underwhelming underage record, especially against Kerry. He can see positive signs, and a tremendous amount of hard work going on in the background.
'There are some very good players in the making here and, in a few years' time, a lot of these guys will feature for Cork, and that's my job as I see it,' he suggested.
'I'm here now, and five or six years ago now, I wasn't supposed to be here, so this is very positive. I love working with young people, I love working with the kids that we have. This is a beautiful thing to be doing. For me, the glass is half full before we even start.
'We had more turnovers than them in the first half, we had more possession than them in the first half, but we didn't show that on the board. Ultimately, Gaelic football is getting the ball between the posts more times than your opposition, and we didn't do that tonight. We have to look at that.
'Cork are playing in Munster against the best county that has ever played football in Kerry. They have that scientifically proven. If you're constantly fighting Muhammad Ali all the time, it's hard to be taken seriously sometimes. Some of the second best boxers in the world fought Muhammad Ali.
'We are a good county and have a good tradition of football here in Cork. I am not as negative as a lot of people would think. We have to do stuff, but we are doing it. Big bodies move slowly. I am optimistic about the future of Cork football.'