Éamonn Fitzmaurice: Cork head to Portugal with a cloud over their heads after damaging Derry defeat
Cork's Seán Walsh and Derry's Brendan Rogers contest a high ball. Pic: INPHO/Lorcan Doherty
There were a slew of consequential results across all four divisions this weekend, that made fools out of those of us that were trying to anticipate results in the run-in to the matches. It means that, as usual, everything is to play for over the final two weekends of league action.
I wondered on Saturday if Cork were coming, but instead they suffered a damaging defeat in Derry. Losing away, especially without Ian Maguire and subsequently the in-form Mark Cronin, was never going to be the end of the world but the manner and margin is alarming for them. It has devastated their scoring difference which could possibly decide promotion on the last day. They sit on -7 points, whereas Meath are on 18 points and Derry an incredible 46 points. They now head for The Campus in Quinta da Lago in Portugal this week with a major cloud over their heads. On the positive side they will have time and space to process, discuss and try to fix it. A young and vulnerable Kildare are up next and should allow them get their season on track but banishing a defeat like that from the memory bank can be tricky.
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