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.

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.

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

A strong, all-round performance from Duhallow in wet Páirc Uí Rinn on Saturday evening, indicated their determination to get back to the Cork SFC final this year.

After Cork’s 16-point shellacking at the hands of Tyrone in O’Moore Park 12 months ago, Ronan McCarthy stood defiantly in the tunnel and declared he knew the way forward.

On a weekend at Croke Park where people were eager to see if Cork’s players in both codes would sink or swim, two men shone like beacons for their respective causes, writes Peter McNamara.

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.

Cork manager Ronan McCarthy, when asked about his players’ unfamiliarity with Croke Park and whether he had any concerns over such, provided a reply straight out of left field, pulling up a Joe Brolly quote from all of 26 years ago.

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.

Seán White, like many of his Cork teammates, has never played an inter-county fixture at Croke Park.

Cork have not reached the last eight of the championship since 2014, falling at the fourth-round hurdle each summer since. But irrespective of who Cork are pitted against on this occasion, McCarthy is adamant that his team are well capable of progressing to the Super 8s.

Cork manager Ronan McCarthy refused to be drawn on the performance of referee Anthony Nolan, remarking that he’d be “better off” holding his counsel where the man in the middle is concerned.

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).

The old Mike Tyson deadpan came to mind as Limerick’s Munster final ambitions were obliterated in the opening 12 minutes of Saturday’s SFC semi-final at Páirc Uí Rinn.

Ana Kriegel’s murder trial has been hearing evidence about the discovery of the schoolgirl’s body in a derelict farmhouse last May.

Armagh 1-14 Cork 3-9

Where in the opening round Cork succeeded in securing a point despite being a man down for the closing 27 minutes of action, yesterday, despite being a man up for the same period of time, they were unable to manage anything at all.

It was glass-half-full time for both managers after a hotly contested equalising score by Conall Jones with the last kick of the game salvaged a point for Fermanagh against 14-man Cork in Enniskillen.

Here's your round-up of club action...

It’s something of an understatement to suggest the early summer optimism surrounding the Cork footballers was well and truly extinguished by Kerry just two weeks ago.

Cork are 7/2 with the bookies but I wouldn’t back them. I was never involved with Kerry in a Munster final in Páirc Ui Chaoimh where Cork were that friendless in the market. The message is clear: Being competitive and getting within two or three points of Kerry represents progress.

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

Before the door of Dressing Room No 3 underneath Semple Stadium’s Old Stand closed towards us, the first four of Liam Kearns’ words to his numbed Tipperary players seeped out.

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.

Before the door of Dressing Room No 3 underneath Semple Stadium’s Old Stand closed towards us, the first four of Liam Kearns’ words to his numbed Tipperary players seeped out.

Former Cork manager Billy Morgan has admitted he’d like Tomas Ó Sé to manage the county at some stage - but can’t see it happening.

Waterford manager Tom McGlinchey has received an eight-week sideline ban after he chose not to contest the proposed suspension last night.

Colm O’Neill mightn’t necessarily agree but there’s often more to a masterpiece than broad brush strokes of genius.

Cavan maintained their grip on top spot in Division 2 of the Allianz Football League with a deserved three-point win away to Cork, writes Stephen Barry.

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.

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.

Cork 1-16 Tipperary 3-16: That Liam Kearns wasn’t the least bit surprised by this result says plenty about the changed nature of the Cork-Tipperary relationship. In fact, the Premier boss “couldn’t understand” how pundits had tipped Cork beforehand.

Tipperary 3-16 Cork 1-16: A dominant second-half showing from Tipperary in the curtain-raiser at Páirc Uí Chaoimh handed the Premier footballers their second competitive victory over Cork in three years.

Picking the Cork footballers off the floor following last month’s shock defeat to Tipperary hasn’t been an easy job, manager Peadar Healy has revealed.

Cork football selector Eoin O’Neill has admitted that having no set training base throughout the winter and spring “certainly didn’t help” their league exploits which ended with relegation from Division 1.

Cork SFC - Castlehaven 0-14 Clonakilty 0-13: Celebratory team photos are rare enough after first round clashes, but the Castlehaven lads had no problem posing for the one supporter who managed to meander her way through the several high-vis jackets guarding the entry to the pitch at full-time on Saturday evening.

Mayo 5-7 Cork 1-14: An hour and a half after Stephen Coen lifted the Clarke Cup, he and his team-mates were back on the field to mingle with friends and family.

Seán Hayes has form in taking down Monaghan teams at this juncture of the All-Ireland U21 championship. What good it’ll do him this afternoon remains to be seen.

Clare have been hit by a double body blow ahead of Sunday’s Division 1 semi-final against Kilkenny as Shane O’Donnell and David McInerney have been ruled out.