Éamonn Fitzmaurice: Asking for a friend — are Cork coming?
Cork have moved away from their reliance on the overload kickout. Micheál Aodh Martin getting the ball on the tee quicker is part of that shift. Pic: ©INPHO/James Lawlor
THE fifth round of the National Football League is here in the blink of an eye. With the third game in a row, and the fifth in six weeks, many counties will start to feel the pinch this weekend. The managers with big squads and returning players will be able to rotate for freshness, and to protect players from injury. Those with tight squads or long injury lists will have to get on with it and hope for the best, while planning for the worst. The results from Round 5 will put a genuine shape on the tables in all four divisions and by Sunday evening, we will all have a good idea of who is looking up and who is glancing anxiously downwards. As usual talking points abound with the following standing out.



