Rebels set for the road less travelled

FOR decades, it’s been an integral part of All-Ireland winning weekends for Cork’s hurlers and footballers – the rail ritual that began at Kent Station on a Saturday afternoon and, more often than not, concluded with the Liam MacCarthy Cup and Sam Maguire trophies returning to the train station on Monday evening.

However, if Conor Counihan’s footballers clinch the county’s seventh All-Ireland football title next Sunday, they’ll bring home Sam via the country’s expanded motorway network, and not the traditional train route taking in Mallow and Charleville.

With journey time from Cork to Dublin now shorter by road than by rail, the Cork senior and minor All-Ireland finalists have decided to take a luxury coach to the capital – and will return on Monday by the same method, it has been confirmed.