DANIEL GOULDING ADMITS that Cork must deliver three big performances if they’re to maintain their Division 1 status in the Allianz Football League.
The Rebels, who are playing in the top flight for the eighth consecutive season, began their campaign positively with an impressive nine-point win against Mayo.
However, their campaign has since turned sour by virtue of three defeats on the trot against Donegal, Roscommon and Dublin.
The 18-point home defeat to Roscommon was a particularly significant setback for Peadar Healy’s side, and although they came away from Croke Park empty-handed last weekend, Cork restored a measure of pride despite going down to All-Ireland champions Dublin by four points.
“The positives were that we put in a good performance and that we played how we wanted to play. It was still disappointing that we didn’t win the game,” Cork forward Goulding told The42.
“We had chances to win it and probably should have closed it out but the Dubs finished the game stronger than we did. It was a big improvement on the Roscommon game anyway, which was required… obviously.”
Cork led for the vast majority of their encounter with Dublin — at one stage in the first half they were eight points up — but a strong finish from the Dubs denied the Leesiders what would have been a very valuable win.
Nevertheless, there were signs over the course of the 70 minutes that Cork could be capable of competing with the best teams in the country when they produce their best football.
Goulding: “As a group, we know what we’re capable of but it’s very disappointing that we don’t produce it often enough. We need to become more consistent in our attitude and our work-rate.
“There’s an onus on everyone, as individuals, to look after their own performance and do their own job. That’s what happened last Saturday night, to be fair. Everyone did their own job. The whole thing comes together then as a team.
“If you don’t have the right attitude individually — obviously it’s never done intentionally — and if you’re not really up for these games then they’re very difficult to win.”
With their League campaign now hanging in the balance, things could go either way for Cork. A win against Monaghan at Páirc Uí Rinn on Sunday could keep them in the hunt for a semi-final place. A defeat, however, will bring them a step closer to relegation.
“With the way this League is going, it’s very tight and there’s probably four or five teams who could be involved in the relegation battle or getting to a semi-final. You need every win that you can get so when there’s a chance to win one of these big games and you pass it up, that’s very disappointing,” Goulding explained.
“The only good thing is that we have a chance on Sunday to rectify it again. We need big performances in these last three games. At this level, without a big performance every time, you just won’t win the games, simple as.
“We’re not talking about relegation but it’s there in black and white if you look at the table. Our set-up is no different to any other. You don’t want to lose any game, but especially four in a row. There’s a big desire now to get a performance but that has to show itself with points on the board as well.
“If we don’t win, we’re sucked right into that relegation battle. If we do, there’s a chance of making it to a semi-final. It’s very up in the air in terms of results but we want to prove that we can perform consistently so a big performance on Sunday is needed for that.”
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