Cleary daring to dream ahead of Cork's mission improbable

This weekend’s last-eight fixture represents the first championship meeting between the counties since the Super 8s game Dublin won with 13 to spare three year ago.

Cork interim manager John Cleary before the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Round 2 match between between Cork and Limerick at Páirc Ui Chaoimh in Cork. Photo by Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile

Saturday’s All-Ireland quarter-final against Dublin will tell Cork what stage of progression they are at.

That’s according to interim Cork manager John Cleary who says 70 minutes in the company of the game’s standard-bearers will inform this new-look Cork group of the level they have got to and how much further they still must travel to return the county to football’s top-table after almost a decade away.