John Cleary: 'Playing here at home and seeing the crowd, Cork football is crying out for that'

They made the step and so the home support in the crowd of 7,251 hurtled down the stand and terrace steps at full-time for a rare pitch invasion where Cork football is concerned.

CRYING OUT FOR: Cork players Brian Hurley, left, and Sean Powter celebrate after the All-Ireland SFC match against Donegal at Páirc Uí Rinn. Pic: Matt Browne/Sportsfile

The performance, the goals, the result, the pitch invasion. Cork football was “crying out” for it all.

Manager John Cleary said post-match that his team had been steadily climbing the ladder in 2024. Only one defeat from their last seven outings. But he wondered if unbeaten Donegal was a step his charges might struggle to ascend to. After all, they were playing, by his own admission, the “best team in the country”.