Daniel Goulding: Cork need to stay in Division 2

Loser of clash with Down faces the drop to Division 3 and are unlikely to be in Sam Maguire championship

Cork manager Keith Ricken, centre, leaves the pitch with his players after the Allianz Football League Division 2 match between Cork and Galway at Páirc Ui Chaoimh in Cork. Photo by Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile

When young Brian Hayes was introduced with eight minutes remaining in last weekend’s defeat to Meath, he became the 14th Cork footballer to make his League debut this year.

Having served as Cork U20 manager for three years prior to his ascension to the senior gig, Keith Ricken was always going to give a chance to those who had stood out at underage level in recent seasons. But not even Ricken himself could have envisaged throwing in so many newcomers - more out of necessity than experimentation - during the League’s first five rounds.