Counihan concerned by Cork’s 24-minute scoring drought

It’s not easy to quibble with a scoreline like that but even Conor Counihan was honest enough to admit the final tally in yesterday’s opening quarter-final hid a handful of sins that will hardly be absolved so easily against Donegal.

Chief among them was a spell of 24 minutes midway through the game in which they failed to prompt an umpire to raise a single flag of either a white or green variety, something Cork have been guilty of in the past.

Twelve months ago that was their most obvious flaw when, after a blitzkrieg opening against Mayo at the same last eight stage, they cashed in their scoring chips they added only two points after the 25th minute.