Cork made light work of a 14-man Limerick in a game that offered few thrills but plenty for John Cleary’s side to quietly take confidence from.

The fact that Monaghan and Roscommon are the two demoted teams joining Division Two makes it an opportunity that Cork cannot afford to let pass in 2025.

Hurley remains Cork’s most dangerous forward but Cork need Conor Corbett and Chris Óg Jones to reach another level if they are to continue closing the gap to the top table.

Kildare played right into the Cork's hands with a carelessness and feebleness in possession.

The importance of next Sunday’s game against Louth in Ardee was always fairly evident once the fixtures came out, as to be in with a chance of promotion Cork must have identified Louth and Fermanagh trips as must-wins

A strange conclusion when analysing Nemo is that their defence is now more impressive than their attack.

Two of the three current giants of Cork football enter the knockout phase this weekend full of confidence

I was surprised and concerned that  Steven Sherlock wasn't starting but the 1-19 total suggests those fears were unfounded. There is a but... 

After a fairly positive league campaign this is a huge setback for Cork and John Cleary 

There was one very noticeable difference between the two teams and that was the style of play.