{"id":494516,"date":"2026-06-11T15:55:09","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T15:55:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/494516\/"},"modified":"2026-06-11T15:55:09","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T15:55:09","slug":"john-cleary-saw-it-coming-as-cork-get-the-short-straw","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/494516\/","title":{"rendered":"John Cleary saw it coming as Cork get the short straw"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"\">John Cleary\u2019s comments after Cork\u2019s win over Meath in Round 1 of the All-Ireland SFC have taken on a sharper relevance this week.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Cleary made the point that in this new championship format, the draw has become almost as important as the result itself.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cIn the big scheme of things, it\u2019s in the lap of the gods now. The draw will decide everything.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cMeath could actually get an easier path to the quarter-final, but the big thing now is before today we were two steps from a quarter-final. Now, we\u2019re one step.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cThe big advantage will be trying to get straight into the quarter-final because the games will be week-on-week.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">He wasn\u2019t complaining, simply stating the reality of a structure where Round 2A and 2B can send teams in very different directions.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">For those who lost in Round 1, the Round 2B fixture can feel like a chance to reset, regroup, and get back on the horse. For the Round 1 winners, however, the reward can sometimes be a trip into the lion\u2019s den.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">And that is exactly where Cork are heading on Saturday. Their Round 2A tie sends them to Ballybofey to face Donegal with throw-in at 3pm, a venue and an opponent that few would choose if given the option.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/5112024_18_articleinlinemobile_2717285.jpg\" alt=\"Eoghan McSweeney of Cork celebrates after scoring his side's first goal against Donegal. Picture: Ramsey Cardy\/Sportsfile\" title=\"Eoghan McSweeney of Cork celebrates after scoring his side's first goal against Donegal. Picture: Ramsey Cardy\/Sportsfile\" class=\"card-img\"\/>Eoghan McSweeney of Cork celebrates after scoring his side&#8217;s first goal against Donegal. Picture: Ramsey Cardy\/Sportsfile<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">It is, by any measure, the toughest draw of the lot. Donegal at home are a different proposition entirely, and Cork know that better than most. Cleary\u2019s earlier point about the draw shaping the path of teams has landed squarely on his own doorstep.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">The challenge is significant, but the approach does not change. Cork must be sharp, disciplined, and ready for the intensity Donegal will bring from the first whistle.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">The scheduling adds another layer. Cork will be out again the following weekend if they lose. Cleary has been clear that teams must be ready for anything, because the format leaves little room for comfort.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">For Cork, the focus now is on delivering a performance that reflects their progress and ambition. They cannot change the draw, but they can shape the response.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Cleary said weeks ago that the draw is huge, and he was right. But he also knows that Cork\u2019s season will be defined not by the luck of the fixtures, but by how his players meet the challenge in front of them.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">This weekend, that challenge is as tough as they come.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"John Cleary\u2019s comments after Cork\u2019s win over Meath in Round 1 of the All-Ireland SFC have taken on&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":494517,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[1964,61,60,112],"class_list":["post-494516","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-cork-gaa","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/494516","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=494516"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/494516\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/494517"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=494516"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=494516"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=494516"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}