They haven’t gone away...

It may not be Friday the 13th, or Halloween, but what are the chances of Cork’s nemesis coming back to haunt them in Sunday’s All-Ireland final? asks Dara O Cinnéide

SINCE 2002 Cork’s fate in the football championship has sometimes resembled that of the tragically presumptuous teenager in a slasher B-movie. Having left their nemesis gasping for air on several occasions, Cork’s expectation that the ordeal was over has often seemed reasonable. The conventions of the genre, however, dictate that several gory sequels are required before the tormentor is finally put to rest. Will Sunday’s encounter with the dreaded Kerry be the final instalment, or will the Kingdom, disposed of so emphatically in the opening scenes, make another improbable return from the dead to administer the terminal blow?

The success of the slasher movie rests on the fact that although we know well what is going to happen next, we are always surprised just the same. Cork know what to expect on Sunday while Kerry’s chances will depend on their ability to surprise them anyway.