PAIN AT THE end result but no quibbles with accepting they face a better team.
Cork journeyed to Killarney yesterday in search of an upset but couldn’t pull off a first victory over Kerry since 2012.
Manager Peadar Healy didn’t hesitate to point out they had collided with a superior force.
“We’re disappointed with the performance. It’s a tough dressing room down there at the moment. We’re hurting. That’s understandable.
“No excuses, Kerry well deserved their win. There’s no doubt about that. They started well in the first half, they started well in the second half.
“They’re a good side lads. They’re a side that are going to take a lot of beating in the All-Ireland series, that’s for sure.
“The bench are good, they’re strong. I’d say their first wide came 10 or 15 minutes into the second half (42nd).
“(They were) very clinical in front of goal. They dragged our half-back line around the place and got their inside forwards on a lot of ball.”
Healy accepted that this was a match which painted vividly the gap that exists between the Division 1 league champions and an outfit that failed to claim promotion from the second tier.
“There’s still four Division 2 teams in provincial finals but you do need to get into Division 1 because it’s so competitive there for the league and it prepares you well for the championship.
“Not getting out was certainly not a help but look we are where we are. We’ve to knuckle down and get on with it.
“We were hoping going into the game, coming into Killarney, to be there with them 20 minutes into the game and get our running game going.
“We were getting through but we weren’t getting the scores and not converting our goal scoring chances.”
Cork suffered their fair share of casualties after the game. Niall Coakley, Ruairi Deane, Michael Shields, James Loughrey and Sean Powter all came off with injuries as the Rebels finished the game with 14 men.
Having used all their substitutes up 17 minutes before the final whistle blew, players like Colm O’Neill and Barry O’Driscoll were not sprung into action.
“The forced substitutions in the second half cost us a bit as well,” stated Healy.
“We were unfortunate we’d to bring on backs. If we didn’t have to bring on backs, then we could have introduced the Colm O’Neill’s.
“Look it’s no excuse. We’d love to have got him on but we couldn’t get him on.
“The draw is in three weeks time. There’s some good teams coming through there for that qualifiers.
“There’ll be a lot of soul searching done. (It’s) back to the drawing board again, get the head down and start working again.”
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