Maybe the Gary Keegan impact is being felt in Cork

You have to give it to Cork for the way they responded after successive defeats to Dublin and Kilkenny, writes Anthony Daly.

I was driving to the All-Ireland Colleges final in Thurles on Saturday when I flicked on Newstalk and listened to an interview with Derek McGrath. It was a real philosophical, deep chat with Ger Gilroy. Derek has taken a career break from his teaching job in De La Salle and he was discussing the pros and cons of that decision. Was being in class the Monday morning after a defeat better therapy than stewing at home?

He referred back to the 2014 season when Waterford were relegated and it seemed like the end of the world for him and his team. Waterford are more experienced now and Derek said if they found themselves in a relegation final Sunday evening, they would accept it. That worldliness grants greater perspective but then I heard one report from Ennis after the final whistle yesterday that described Derek and big Dan dancing on the sideline after securing that quarter-final spot.