Cork strike a blow

ALL victories are necessary victories no team wants to lose after all.

But some are absolutely imperative and Cork's 1-18 to 0-10 destruction of Clare at Semple Stadium yesterday falls into this category.

There was a lot riding on this. In a way, the build up to the semi-final began with a bunch of nervous young men facing the media at a Cork hotel and announcing that they were making history by becoming the first ever amateurs to go on strike.