Refreshed Rebels up for the battle

Nine demanding campaigns, eight All-Ireland crowns, a similar haul of league titles. In truth, it was only a matter of time before the onset of staleness threatened to derail the red juggernaut.

For the Cork ladies footballers, their period of stagnation arrived in June of 2013. Successive defeats to Kerry brought the curtain down on their provincial dominance, their championship involvement almost ended at the hands of Armagh in round one of the qualifiers. Though the ship was righted and another championship secured later that year, all involved realised the panel required a fresh outlook.