Paul Kerrigan desperate for Cork to make leap in class

Fact: Not since the 2012 Munster semi-final have Cork taken out a football team sat higher than them on championship’s ladder. It’s a stat that frustrates Paul Kerrigan.

The Cork captain lined out at left-half-forward that June Sunday in Páirc Uí Chaoimh when Conor Counihan’s outfit scored a 0-17 to 0-12 victory over Kerry. Clare and Kildare were subsequently brushed aside to move the Rebels within 70 minutes of a fourth All-Ireland final appearance in six years.

Donegal, however, were the rock upon which Cork would perish; the Rebels’ shot selection and waning patience when attempting to break through the northerners defensive wall in the second period, according to Kerrigan, the chief contributing factors in their championship exit.