Cork football's most searching question — 'Can we make another step?'

Mid-table Division 2 finishes, close shouts with Kerry, and preliminary quarter-final exits have become the county’s predictable lot in recent years.

FORLORN AND FAMILIAR: Daniel O'Mahony of Cork after his side's loss in the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Round 2 match between Cork and Kerry at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh in Cork. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

“Can we make another step?” 

The above words of John Cleary are both the target and the theme of Cork football’s 2026 season.