IT’S now the calm after the storm for the Cork hurlers.

Three successive defeats, from the league final to the Clare loss, shattered Rebel confidence and left the season hanging by a thread.

Two brilliant displays in eight days have the county buzzing again.

You could see the contrast in the attendance against Waterford and Tipp, only the diehards made it to Walsh Park but Thurles was swarming with red geansaís.

Are Cork good enough to come through the backdoor and capture the most unlikely of All-Ireland titles?

Will the vulnerabilities that were exposed by Limerick undermine them before they even get back to Croke Park?

They are still standing at least.

There’s no action again until June 11-12, when Kieran Kingston’s side travel to take on the Joe McDonagh Cup winners, Antrim or Kerry, and then the All-Ireland quarter-finals a week later. At the same juncture four seasons ago Cork walloped Westmeath.

Assuming Cork don’t do a Dublin, caught by Laois in 2019, they’ll face the Leinster runners-up Galway or Kilkenny.

Cork have a decent record at the quarter-final stage. They’ve won seven, lost three and drawn one.

They were dominant in last summer’s All-Ireland quarter-final against the Dubs, but fell short despite a great start in the 2019 meeting with Kilkenny and were swept aside by Galway at the same stage in 2015. The Rebels made the 2014, ‘17, and ‘18 All-Ireland semi-finals directly as Munster winners.

There were also All-Ireland quarter-final victories over Antrim in 2004 and 2010, Waterford in 2005 and 2012, Limerick ('06) and Clare ('08) but the Déise beat them after a replay in 2007 when a controversial late free against Donal Óg Cusack cost Gerald McCarthy’s charges the first day.

The All-Ireland semi-finals are on July 2-3, the Leinster champions on the Saturday and the Munster winners on the Sunday, repeat pairings will be avoided.

That means if whoever loses the Munster decider beats Wexford and Cork make the last four, it’ll be the Rebels against Limerick or Clare on July 3.

The All-Ireland final is July 17, to facilitate the split-season format.

The club championships will throw in after that, under the same round-robin format that guarantees every team at least three matches.

The leagues are currently ongoing, with the knockout phase to be run off before the championhip commences.

KEY DATES

June 4: Leinster final: Galway v Kilkenny.

June 5: Munster final: Clare v Limerick.

June 11/12: All-Ireland preliminary quarter-finals: Antrim/Kerry v Cork/Wexford (McDonagh Cup finalists at home).

June 18/19: All-Ireland quarter-finals: Leinster runners-up v Cork/Kerry/Antrim; Munster runners-up v Wexford/Kerry/Antrim.

July 2: All-Ireland semi-final: Leinster champions v qualifier (can't face Leinster runners-up).

July 3: All-Ireland semi-final: Munster champions v qualifier (can't face Munster runners-up).

July 17: All-Ireland final.