O’Reilly says half-time talk got Rebels focused

Shoulders stooped, heads gazed firmly on the floor. The Cork dressing room stood eerily quiet, a picture of despondency.

The reigning All-Ireland champions had dragged themselves from the field at half-time, 1-7 to 0-4 adrift of Dublin. Their wides tally had moved into double figures, 11, the number of unforced errors beyond count.

In their 11 years together under Eamonn Ryan, this first-half horror show ranked among the worst displays ever produced. As they contemplated the crossroads at which they had arrived, Angela Walsh stood up and moved into the centre of the room. The dual player had been here before, two weeks ago to be exact.