Rebels ready for main event

IT’S not the trophy they crave, but yesterday’s NFL Division Two final success in Croke Park still gives the Cork footballers a nice fillip as they crank up their championship preparations.

In a match largely devoid of passionate combat, Cork were clearly superior. Four weeks previously Monaghan had produced the winning quota of fire and brimstone yet Conor Counihan’s men firmly reversed that outcome here. Whereas Cork were inhibited in the tight confines of Scotstown, yesterday they prospered in Croke Park’s open plains.

The hard yards were made in the first half and when Cork retreated to their dressing room at the interval they had the comfort of a six-point lead, 0-10 to 0-4. What was more telling was the manner in which they were performing and the simultaneous ailments afflicting Monaghan all over the pitch.