With U20 title in the bag, Cork already looking to next step

Former Cork footballer Colm O’Neill sees no reason why five or six of the county’s All-Ireland U20 winning team can’t make the step up to senior level in 2020. A selector in Keith Ricken’s backroom team, O’Neill is fully aware that the real value of Saturday’s come-from-behind win will be the ability of these emerging footballers to successfully transition to senior level in the years ahead.

O’Neill is himself a perfect example of what an All-Ireland U20 (formerly U21) title can pave the way for, the Ballyclough man winning All-Ireland U21 medals in 2007 and 2009 before landing the ultimate prize in September 2010.