Cork finally see the light

IF Conor Counihan wanted a rigorous test to discover where his Cork team stand ahead of the big August days in Croke Park, he got it in the Gaelic Grounds on Saturday night.

This was an All-Ireland SFC Qualifier Round 4 encounter that Cork were the proprietors of in the fading daylight in normal-time. Yet they wilted in the face of a thunderous late Limerick rally and it was only under the powerful glow of the floodlights on the Ennis Road that they finally fashioned a victory in extra-time.

Securing a last eight berth was the pre-requisite for this trip but it was a serious test of both mind and body for Cork before they achieved that ambition.