“It is becoming an elite association and they are just catering for inter-county, while and clubs, third-level, and second-level are all suffering.”

As he emerged from a home dressing room, reinforced by the glow of the more joyous half of a Limerick double on Saturday evening, Billy Lee ducked away from the awaiting reporters for just a moment.

A sensational display from Danny Neville helped Limerick to their first McGrath Cup in 15 years with a shock win over Cork.

There will be no extra-time in either game in the event of a draw, with a penalty shoot-out to determine the victor.

Tipperary’s senior footballers secured their first win under new manager David Power when they withstood a late rally from a youthful Kerry team in Sunday’s McGrath Cup game in Clonmel.

Gavin Cooney hit two goals for the Banner.

Cork just about did enough to record a deserved victory over Kerry in this John Kerins Cup opener in Tralee this afternoon as the hosts very nearly salvaged an unlikely draw from a deficit of five points entering injury time. 1-1 from substitute Darragh Hayes appeared to be enough to ensure Cork’s win but a penalty from Paul Walsh followed by a Killian Falvey point nearly ensured the match ended on parity.

A second victory for another experimental Cork side in round 2 of the McGrath Cup in Mallow last night.

Having been set to take time away from football after his spell as Kildare manager, Cian O’Neill has revealed how Ronan McCarthy coaxed him into the Cork set-up as a coach to the senior footballers.

There are 17 clubs represented in the matchday panel, and 10 on the starting team.

Put aside momentarily the gulf in strength and game experience between the two sides in Tralee yesterday. Any cursory examination of what Cork started with, brought on, didn’t use — or have away on club duty with Nemo Rangers — would lead one to conclude there’s impressive depth and breadth to the Cork football squad as 2020 looms.

In a game that saw the sides level five times, Limerick came out on top with three of the last four points against a Clare side that had to wait until the second half for their first score from play.

Luckless Nathan Walsh’s injury woes continued Sunday in Tralee as Cork pummelled Kerry’s Under 20’s in the McGrath Cup.

Éamonn Fitzmaurice and Tony Leen ran the rule over both teams alongside Colm O'Connor in the commentary box.

Cork football selector Seán Hayes believes that the returning Ciarán Sheehan will bring his influence to bear on and off the field.

Flahive, who started each of Cork’s six championship games this year at corner-back, recently underwent surgery to address a torn labrum in his shoulder.

New Kerry U20 football boss John Sugrue has slammed the changes that have been made to the age grade as “farcical”, suggesting the GAA is too quick to respond to criticism when it comes to football.

Although acknowledging the strain on volunteer officers, Galway GAA chairman Pat Kearney is opposed to county boards being taken over by paid staff.

Fans have a choice to make for their pre-Christmas hurling fix as the Co-Op Superstores Munster Hurling League and McGrath Cup fixtures have been confirmed.

Former Galway hurler David Forde has joined new manager Shane O’Neill’s backroom team — as a selector.

Ciarán Sheehan is back as part of the extended Cork senior football panel for the first time since 2013.

The Clare senior footballers will be without their two All-Star nominees next season as captain Gary Brennan has joined Jamie Malone in opting out of the squad.

Munster Council will facilitate the counties who want to play their opening Munster Senior Hurling League or McGrath Cup fixture before Christmas.

All-Ireland champions Tipperary will face Clare and Limerick in the 2020 Co-Op Superstores Munster Hurling League, while Cork and Kerry will meet in the group stages of the McGrath Cup.

The Athletic Grounds has been a happy hunting ground for Cork football in the past but it’s a daunting place Sunday. A win there combined with a Tipperary victory or draw against Clare in Thurles can save Cork from Division 3. And yet that sense of foreboding is difficult to shift.

Ronan McCarthy has included four league debutants for Cork's Division 2 opener against Fermanagh.

It might only be the McGrath Cup, but the Cork footballers, for a variety of reasons, would be best served by ensuring the pre-season silverware is perched at the front of the team bus when it pulls out of Willie Clancy country tomorrow afternoon.

It will be late February, at the earliest, before Seán Powter makes his inter-county return, according to Cork football manager Ronan McCarthy.

Mark White will be between the posts again for Cork on Sunday when they play Limerick in the McGrath Cup, while Chris Kelly, last summer’s junior goalkeeper, will wear number 16.

Walsh Park could host Waterford’s two home fixtures in the 2019 Munster senior hurling championship.

“The referee was saying, ‘you’re on three, you’re on three’ and then you’re thinking about it"

Perhaps he was only speaking in the abstract at a first media engagement, but new Kerry manager Peter Keane says he is “open to the idea” of re-opening the gates to Fitzgerald Stadium for Kerry training.

He led Waterford to their first championship victory in seven years.

With Kerry having temporarily abandoned the McGrath Cup and Cork mired in Division 2 of the league, meetings between the two counties have become sporadic of late.

Since Conor Counihan departed as Cork manager almost five years ago, three different managers have presided over 54 games and used 76 players — and not once put the same team out in successive games. Eoghan Cormican crunches the numbers.

Cork football manager Ronan McCarthy said the timing of club-only activity on Leeside was “great” from his point of view, but added that the county players were given a clear message to maintain their form on club duty.

Debutant Ronan O’Toole is one of three changes on the Cork football side for Sunday’s final Allianz FL Division 2 clash with Roscommon in Dr Hyde Park (3pm).

It’s only February, but are summer line-ups coming into view? A chat with Ronan McCarthy indicates that while the Cork football manager isn’t about to pick his championship 15 now, he does concede things are “starting to take shape bit by bit”.

Cork attacker Colm O’Neill gets down to brass tacks immediately. The 2018 league started badly but now he and his teammates “are in a good place” as they await Cavan this weekend.

Like their half-time advantage of one point, Cork weren’t in any way flattered by the final result as they dismissed Down with relative ease.

The learning never stops. Ian Maguire has a couple of years under his belt at senior intercounty, but the Cork football captain is still the student. Still storing the lessons.

The evenings are that bit brighter, all the hurt and disappointment of last year is long forgotten, hope is back in the hearts of supporters in every corner of the country. There is a road to some kind of glory for everyone. This could be the year.

John Fogarty picks out five players who are set to make their mark on the Allianz Football League.

McGrath Cup