Do-or-die another day

THERE may have been the safety net of the backdoor available for the losers of yesterday’s Munster championship tie in Killarney, but it was quite evident in the demeanour of both Cork and Kerry that they had no interest in settling for that.

I spoke on Saturday about the dangers that the qualifier route posed with the possibility of a trip to Derry, Antrim or Donegal.

Saturday night’s double shock created the prospect of a tie in Castlebar or Newbridge, and Armagh’s Ulster exit prior to the 4pm throw-in put them in that mix as well. Yesterday’s game may not have been a classic, but this was very much do-or-die stuff. This was hard, physical championship football and the front door was the only route everyone wanted.