Cork’s maiden voyage into the Super 8s begins this evening and the challenge facing them couldn’t be any bigger than that posed by the five-in-a-row chasing Dublin.

While Cork’s victory on Saturday may not have come as a surprise the gulf in class certainly was. Cork produced their best display of the year to add to the evidence that they are heading in the right direction.

Cork will spend the next two weekends in Croke Park after comfortably securing their place in the Super 8s with this emphatic 14-point dismissal of Laois.

The inconsistency which plagued Cork football in recent seasons is no longer an issue, according to goalkeeper Mark White.

Conor Counihan may have been a man for the dummy team but none of his successors — Brian Cuthbert, Peadar Healy, and Ronan McCarthy — have been known for it.

Cork have been forced into three late changes to their starting fifteen ahead of tomorrow’s Munster football final against champions Kerry (7pm).

Cork will often end up with as many as 11 outfield players behind the ball, writes Paddy Kelly.

After such an emphatic and impressive win as they produced on Saturday night, the Cork management and players will have spoken in the dressing room afterwards about aspects of the game that can be improved upon — highlighting Tipperary’s seven-day turnaround as a disadvantage and cautioning getting carried away before a Munster final.

Cork 2-11 Louth 0-10: An unusual game at Páirc Uí Rinn: Cork cruise to victory, despite having two men sent off, while simultaneously being flattered by a seven-point winning margin.

We’ve been told that Cork’s priorities this spring centre on winning matches and getting their best 15 players on the field as often as possible. After that, promotion will look after itself. Or so we’re told.

Stephen Cronin, Patrick Kelly, and Colm O’Neill come into the Cork side for today’s qualifier clash with Donegal in Croke Park (4pm).

Paul Kerrigan doesn’t have fond memories of Semple Stadium. Mind you, he doesn’t exactly hold fond memories of Tipperary either, but it’s the venue rather than the team it houses that has caused him more grief in recent years.

Cork 0-12 Down 0-7: Another step forward for Cork, another step back for Down.

Cork 1-20 Monaghan 1-13: Is there any middle ground with this Cork football team?

Kerry manager Eamonn Fitzmaurice has backed Paul Murphy to shine again at centre-forward, though he accepts that tomorrow’s Allianz FL Division 1 clash with Donegal in Tralee will represent a different challenge for the Rathmore man than Down did last week.

Aidan Walsh of St Mary’s makes his league debut as Kerry make seven changes for tomorrow’s Allianz FL Division 1 clash with Down at Páirc Esler in Newry (2pm).

Kerry will field eight starters from last September’s All-Ireland final loss to Dublin when they open the Allianz Football League Division 1 against Dublin in Croke Park tomorrow night (7pm).

Cork’s footballers have come out in force to defend Brian Cuthbert, who has stepped down as manager.

James Owens improved his chances of refereeing his first senior All-Ireland hurling final with an impressive handling of the Galway-Cork All-Ireland quarter-final yesterday.

Thurles on a Saturday evening for knock-out championship with two teams still searching for their true identity.

Kildare 1-21 Cork 1-13: Fionn Fitzgerald has a lot to answer for.

Cork captain Michael Shields reaches a significant milestone in his career by making his 50th championship appearance as the beaten Munster finalists attempt to get back on the horse once again.

The question posed all week was which team would learn most from the drawn Munster final. Without doubt, it was Kerry, who managed to right most of the wrongs of the previous meeting.

Kingdom find the missing keys: Kerry’s depth is illustrated not so much in who came in but who didn’t

Kerry 1-11 Cork 1-6: Enough. That just about summed up this Kerry victory.

Kerry 2-15 Cork 3-12

Brian Cuthbert and Ronan McCarthy ran into each other at a "work thing" early in the New Year.

A fortnight after that League final hammering, Cork get back on the horse by facing the Dubs all over again at the Cill Na Martra grounds in mid-Cork on Sunday afternoon.

Cork manager Brian Cuthbert promised a ‘root and branch examination’ of his side after their shock league final capitulation on Sunday but the question is where does Cuthbert start?

ACROSS the table is the face of modern gaelic football. The face and the physique.

CORK 4-11 DONEGAL 0-19: Tell it not in Gath, as the Bible puts it, but we had a largely enjoyable game of football yesterday in Croke Park. Given recent suggestions of the apocalypse for the sport, a reference to the good book seems appropriate.

Donegal 0-12 Cork 1-8

Aliance Football League Division 1

New Kerry captain Kieran Donaghy will make his first competitive start of the year in Sunday’s Allianz Football League Division 1 clash with Dublin in Fitzgerald Stadium (2pm).

The Cork football management have made seven changes to their side for Sunday’s McGrath Cup semi-final clash with Waterford in Ardmore.