Counihan aware of the threat posed by Mourners

IT is almost 44 weeks since they climbed the summit, but when Cork return to Croke Park on Saturday for their first taste of championship 2011 at headquarters, Conor Counihan will hardly get all fuzzy and nostalgic.

The objective this time is more prosaic, a win in the qualifiers and they will join the elite eight who are looking to take the final straight on the September road. And the presence of Down, the team whose Sam Maguire ambitions Cork smashed last September, in the other dressing room has Counihan feeling cautious heading into this fourth round clash.

“When you lose an All-Ireland final by a point, you’d only be itching to get another crack off the team that beat you,” said Counihan. “That’s the chance for Down on Saturday, the chance to atone for losing to us last year. And that’ll provide them with a hell of a lot of motivation. We’d want to be fairly focused for this one. Both teams will be glad to get back to Croke Park. For whichever team advances to the All-Ireland quarter-final, it’ll have been a benefit to have a game in Croke Park under their belts.”