In 1990, when Cork last lifted the Sam Maguire Cup, it was the culmination of four years of attrition. They were at their peak in 1990 and knew how to win the All Ireland title, having beaten Mayo a year earlier. Not only that, they had demolished Kerry to win their fourth successive Munster final in 1990, probably the most embarrassing defeat ever suffered by the Kingdom. The key to those successes: Their forwards.

Cork had geniuses in those days in their forwards, and the only workhorse they ever had in their forward line was Barry Coffey. In 1989, there was Dave Barry, Larry Tompkins, Barry Coffey, Paul McGrath, Dinny Allen and John Cleary. Five of those six knew where the posts were, and Michael McCarthy (RIP) and John O’Driscoll were the impact subs from the bench. In 1990, they had Dave Barry, Larry Tompkins, Teddy McCarthy, Paul McGrath, Colm O’Neill and Michael McCarthy. Again five of those knew where the posts were, and the sixth, Teddy Mac, scored a goal in the drawn 1988 All Ireland final. Therein lies the problem for Cork in 2010. The instinctive genius provided by some of those players is missing. How many of the present day Cork forwards would make those teams?

Even in 1993, there were players like Joe Kavanagh and Colin Corkery, and by 1999 Phillip Clifford and Mark O’Sullivan had arrived on the scene. However the forward line that played against Limerick last weekend does not contain the instinctive genius required to drag a game out of the bag, in a situation like they found themselves in, last year in the dying minutes of the All Ireland final. They were not far away on the scoreboard, but they never looked like raking up the scores to pull through. This year there is a new addition to the forward line. He is an exceptional athlete, powerfully built, brings others into the game and can win his own ball. His name is Ciaran Sheehan. In many ways he would be an ideal centre back. Rugged and built like a rugby player, he wouldn’t be out of place in the Munster Rugby set-up.

However, for his athletic prowess, he doesn’t possess the guile and finesse of say a Colm Cooper. Kieran Donaghy has an instinctive telepathic relationship with Cooper, and even though Sheehan can bring others into the game, he cannot claim to have the same relationship with say Daniel Goulding. Such a relationship will need to be developed but Donaghy stays inside on the edge of the square unless directed to do otherwise, Sheehan spends a lot of time drifting outfield. When one watches the frees missed against Limerick last weekend, one cannot help but think that James Masters would have kicked some of them. Masters may not be a worker, or an Olympic sprinter, but he knows where the posts are. Can Cork afford to be without him? Billy Morgan picked him for the 2007 All Ireland final when he shouldn’t have been picked but its time for everyone to get over that now, and realise what he can offer. If Eoin Cadogan can sail back in from the hurlers, surely Masters can also be recalled even if he withdrew of his own accord. Many Cork supporters I have spoken to aren’t overly disappointed that Masters is gone, and it seems to be an anti-Nemo thing more than anything. You need to put those things behind you to win All Irelands.

Ultimately for Cork to lift Sam, they need to score with greater ease. It’s very difficult for a team to steamroll its way to an All Ireland title. They are going to have to depend on keeping the scores down at one end, but at the same time working very hard for their scores at the other end. That type of a laborious approach takes a lot out of a team and can empty the tank late in the game when they need their legs the most. As mentioned earlier, freetaking is also a problem for them. Donnacha O’Connor has been their best right-footed freetaker, but sometimes he has found it difficult to get the ball into the air from the ground in Croke Park in the past. One wonders if it’s more difficult to take a free from the ground in Croke Park, than it is in say Páirc Uí Caoimh or Killarney where there’s a greater coat of grass.

From a positive perspective their injuries are on the mend. They might not be ready for Roscommon, but they will be for the Tyrone/Dublin game assuming they qualify. Nicholas Murphy made an impact off the bench last weekend and John Miskella should be fully fit soon, and is vital to their cause because he provides an excellent attacking dimension from the half back line. When everyone is fit and available, that Cork team will be a difficult team to pick and that alone might provide the greater intensity required to get them over the finishing line in September.

Meanwhile Donal Shine and his colleagues will have a thing or two to say about that but getting the ball to Shine could be Roscommon’s greatest challenge. A fare more experienced Limerick side didn’t succeed in feeding the inside line last weekend, and Cork as a defensive unit have to take credit for that. Roscommon’s win in the Connacht final was everything that is superb about knockout championship football. They came in as underdogs, against a team that had shown championship form, and they stole the trophy from under their noses at the very end. Roscommon are a young team, and Fergal O’Donnell has moulded a nice team. One wonders would they have taken Galway in the Connacht final had they qualified? Roscommon have fulfilled their potential for 2010 and can be happy with their year. Cork to prevail.