John Cleary: Cork found out exactly where they stand on the learning curve

“For us as a group, the ultimate aim is to get up to the very top and we're a good bit off it there now."

Cork manager John Cleary speaks to his players after the All-Ireland SFC quarter-final loss to Dublin. Pic: Daire Brennan, Sportsfile

Having told this newspaper last week that Dublin would inform a new-look Cork group of exactly where they’re at in their progression, John Cleary’s assessment of Saturday evening was that Cork are “a mid-to-lower Division 2 team” who are nowhere near the game’s standard-bearers.

That’s okay for the moment, though, because at least Cork now know where on the road they are and what needs to be done to move them onwards and upwards.