Time for Cork footballers to show they can cope with expectation in key promotion clash against Meath

Cork's crunch Division 2 Football League clash with Meath is ideally timed.

The hurlers, after three games in 13 days, are on a break and not at home again until March 22. Rebels should be itching to watch a live game and the club leagues don't start for another week.

The setting is also perfect for generating an atmosphere as a crowd of 3,000 plus is enough at Páirc Uí Rinn, with SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh unavailable due to ground works. 

John Cleary's side need the fans behind them against their old rivals on Sunday afternoon because a fourth successive victory would put them in a strong position to gain promotion. Remarkably, Cork hadn't managed three league wins on the bounce since 2014, outside of their 2020 stint in Division 3. 

While Covid had a major impact that year, it's no coincidence that the campaign in which Cork delivered a league title was the same they beat Kerry. We just won't mention the subsequent Munster final loss to Tipp...

Confidence and momentum are important in every county but especially on Leeside, where the footballers never get the backing they deserve yet are constantly scrutinised for underachieving. 

There's a bit of interest in their strong start to 2026 and even if the McGrath Cup is a fairly worthless competition, defeating Kerry on their own turf in January was a boost. 

Now, if Steven Sherlock hadn't marked his return to the squad with a two-pointer to beat Cavan in the league opener, the mood around Cork football would be very different. Thankfully, the Barrs sharpshooter nailed that late score and Cork were very impressive at times against Louth and Offaly.

As Cleary admitted after the victory in Tullamore last weekend, the fixtures fell kindly for his side, who now take on the other promotion candidates in the remaining games: Meath, Derry, Kildare and Tyrone. They've to face the two Ulster sides on the road. 

There are no gimmes in Division 2, which is why Cork haven't been able to engineer a return to the top flight but got the job done in the games they were expected to deliver in. Now they take on a side that featured in last year's All-Ireland semi-final and beat Dublin in Leinster.

Meath showed their doggedness against Cavan and Louth in recent weeks, with Jack Flynn slamming over a two-point winner in both matches. They'll rock up to Boreenmanna Road fully expecting to beat Cork.

BURDEN

One of the issues the Rebels have is coping with the weight of expectation. 

They've been better at threatening to upset the likes of Kerry and Dublin than beating a side at their level or below.

Take Cork's last game at the old Flower Lodge. They stunned Donegal with a three-goal salvo in the summer of 2024, but then missed out on a chance to top the All-Ireland series group by losing to Tyrone in front of a bumper attendance as part of a double-header with the hurlers. They exited the championship at the hands of Louth with a limp performance.

This time, they can show they've evolved as a team and are ready to embrace the challenge.