They say crime doesn’t pay, but it does in football

IF imitation is the sincerest form of flattery then the Cork footballers didn’t seem to win that many admirers.

It wasn’t just Joe Brolly who had misgivings about last year’s All-Ireland football champions.

Anyone who has ever played the game at any level will understand the respect afforded to the team which triumphs on the third Sunday in September. They set the standard. At the Tuesday night training session when club players gather in a circle for a tutorial from their manager, he will invariably point to some aspect about the All-Ireland winners.