“We want to beat Cork even if it’s at Scrabble”

FOR someone that spent eight seasons trying to get closer to Darragh O Sé around Fitzgerald Stadium, Mike Quirke is doing a convincing job putting distance between himself and the Gaeltacht powerhouse.

“I certainly wouldn’t like to get attached to a label of trying to replace Darragh. He’s irreplaceable, a freak of modern day football. Sixteen championship seasons with Kerry, virtually an ever-present,” gushes the midfielder.

“He’s either been man-of-the-match or close to it in most of his 80-odd championship games. That kind of stuff doesn’t happen. Darragh O Sé comes along once in a lifetime, a freak of championship football. You cannot possibly replace him, so we’re just trying to do as much as we can with what we have.”