The Echo Sport Podcast: Would Cork be better off in the Tailteann Cup?

HOW have the Cork footballers gone from a team that beat Roscommon and Mayo in the All-Ireland series to bottom of Division 2 and battling relegation in the league?

Every week on The Echo Sport Podcast, Éamonn Murphy and our GAA experts Denis Hurley and Barry O’Mahony discuss the talking points in Gaelic games in Cork. The focus this week is on the footballers' struggles in recent weeks as they break down the issues facing John Cleary's charges.

They opened the campaign with a chastening 11-point loss in Donegal and since then have been squeezed out by Louth and Cavan. They spurned opportunities in both defeats but the reality is they desperately need to beat Fermanagh on the road this weekend to save their season.

The footballers aren't fully firing in attack while the defensive solidity that characterised their run last season has gone. 

Would a change in personnel or tactics help? Or did Cork actually overachieve in 2023, given the talent available to Cleary and his selectors?

There are four matches left in the league, including a trip to Meath and clashes with fellow strugglers Kildare and high-flying Armagh in SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh. Along with avoiding relegation, Cork need to finish as high as possible in the table to secure a place in the All-Ireland series this summer.

In the new format, 16 teams are involved in the top tier of championship, based on league position, with the caveat that all the provincial finalists are included and last season's Tailteann Cup winners. Meath secured that trophy in 2023, so even if they're relegated to Division 3 they'll be in the race for Sam Maguire in the coming months.

With Cork facing Kerry in the provincial semi-final, provided they get past Limerick, one of Clare, Tipp or Waterford will be in the Munster final. And therefore the All-Ireland series.

Louth and Kilare are both on the other side of the Leinster draw away from Dublin, so even if they finish towards the end of Division 2 could grab a spot in the All-Ireland proper through making the Leinster decider.

Donegal, Tyrone, Cavan, Monaghan and Derry are all on one absolutely stacked side in Ulster, which means Armagh should progress on the other side. However, if Down or Antrim upset the odds, a lower-placed league side would be in the Sam Maguire competition proper.

With Cork's form though, even other results going their way might not be enough...

Also on this week's episode, we look at the Fitzgibbon Cup success for Jamie Wall and Colin O'Brien, the latest U21 divisional final results and preview Cork-Waterford in the hurling league.