Cork go from the Sultans of Ping to the Sultans of Pong

Once Upon a Time it used to be simple. Winters were cold, summers were warm and Cork won All-Irelands. It was one of life’s inevitabilities.

They wore red, like Manchester United and Liverpool, and in a sense they were the GAA’s answer to Manchester United and Liverpool. Glamorous, sexy, successful. Hollywoodesque.

Not only did they win a couple of All-Irelands per decade, they won them with style and swagger. Above all, they won them with great goals from great forwards, instantly recognisable individuals of all shapes and sizes.