Ian Maguire: We had to decide whether we were contenders or pretenders 

LEADING THE CHARGE: Ian Maguire of Cork in action against Matthew Ruane of Mayo. Pic: Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile

Cork's Ian Maguire's verdict on his side's victory over Mayo at the Gaelic Grounds? It's about time the Rebel footballers put down a marker and decided whether they were contenders at the top table, or just mere pretenders. 

The experienced St Finbarr's clubman was central in getting John Cleary's charges over the line. Surging runs up and down the field were once again visible, a trademark of Maguire's career. 

Speaking to  GAAGO post-match, having been awarded the Man of the Match gong, Maguire peered over his shoulder at his decade or so in red.

"For the group, there's been a lot happen over the last ten years, a lot of disappointments, a lot of failures," said Cork midfield veteran Maguire. "It does eat away at you, because it's such a talented group. 

"We've really bottled that up this year. We've been really striving for a bit of consistency and we've been slowly getting there. 

Maguire chose to pass the credit onto a number of his teammates, holding special praise for the performance of now regular midfield partner Colm O'Callaghan, as well as club-mate Steven Sherlock. 

"I think that performance there, especially in the second-half, it showed what we were all about. A special mention - six points down - there was a lot made about leadership in the team, and Colm O'Callaghan driving forward and winning a brilliant penalty, Sherlock coming off the bench and showing unbelievable composure. 

"That just shows the kind of quality that's in the side in terms of skill, but also the leadership that's developing within there."

The 29-year-old noted that Sunday's win was all about putting a marker down on where Cork see themselves in the Sam Maguire race.

"For us like, I guess the question was asked of us, are we contenders or pretenders? And I suppose that's what this game was all about. 

"We had to prove that we're there for the shake-up, and not just to turn up to make up the numbers."

Cork can now look forward to home comforts in next week's preliminary quarter-final, with their summer prospects looking a whole lot brighter because of this Mayo-sized scalp.