Cork will expect and demand so much from themselves against Donegal - they have a chance

As Meath were charging at Cork in waves in Páirc Uí Rinn three weeks ago with just 90 seconds remaining, they refused to let up to try and save the game.

Aaron Lynch was marginally wide from a 2-point equalising attempt. 

Meath won back possession but Jack O’Connor kicked another wide. 

Robbie Brennan’s side launched one more final desperate attack before Cork forced the turnover and Conor Corbett landed the insurance point just before the hooter sounded.

By then ‘Rebels, Rebels, Rebels’ was booming off the roofs of the stands. 

That war-cry is usually reserved for the hurlers on eternal summer Sundays but that guttural chant rang around Páirc Uí Rinn like thunder at the final whistle.

The Cork footballers have been without that affection and support for so long that they no longer expect to receive it, but they deserved every drop of it on the Boreenmanna Road that evening as they emptied themselves in an outstanding second half performance.

It was a day of days for Cork football as John Cleary’s side delivered a display laced with all the hallmarks of resilience, character and fortitude that Cork have too often been accused of lacking.

Reduced to 14 men in the 51st minute after Colm O’Callaghan was sent off, Cork managed the game really impressively in the face of that adversity. 

They were able to rely on the incredible accuracy and courage of Steven Sherlock, who ended with 0-14, but Cork were able to override losing O’Callaghan because they had been so used to dealing with setbacks throughout the match.

Even when Cork were under the cosh in the first half, they mined 0-6 from just five Meath turnovers. 

Cork could have raised four green flags in that opening half but Meath goalkeeper Seán Brennan made two excellent saves while Meath scrambled another couple of opportunities away.

When Meath went to town on Cork before half-time, scoring 1-11 in just 12 minutes, the majority of that damage stemmed from their own kickout, with Meath sourcing 1-6 of that 1-11 from the Cork restart.

Trailing by eight points at the break, Cork found the early spark they were craving by demolishing the Meath kickout, scoring an incredible 12 points in the opening ten minutes, 0-9 of which was sourced from the Meath restart.

Cork had all the momentum until it appeared as if they’d lost it when O’Callaghan was red carded. 

Their kickout looked certain to come under even more pressure but goalkeeper Patrick Doyle was outstanding in getting his kickouts away when Meath had an extra man. 

Cork’s energy and intensity levels always remained high, while their bench made a huge impact in the second half.

The Munster final defeat to Kerry was a big disappointment but this group have worked so tirelessly at tearing down their hereditary self-image that they have steadily built a new identity.

Meath really tested their mettle but there is just more surety about this group now – and more consistency. 

That status was challenged in the Munster final but Cork have still won more games this year than they have in an age. 

Prior to this season, the most league games Cork had won in Division two across the previous five years was four, which they managed last spring.

Cork won six games in this year’s league, while they showed three weeks ago how much they’d learned from the Division Two league final defeat to Meath.

Cork football has always required those qualities of resilience and fortitude to push back against the lack of public support and constant underappreciation from being in the shadow of the hurlers.

The grind has finally got Cork up the gradient and back into Division One. 

It's been a long-haul slog where small incremental improvements have been less apparent through the grind.

What has been obvious though, is their increased scoring capacity. 

A lack of offensive output had been holding Cork back for years but they were the sixth highest scoring side across the four divisions this spring. Chris Óg Jones and Mark Cronin’s numbers really improved during the spring while the return of Sherlock has been a massive boost.

The new rules have changed everything in Gaelic football but having Sherlock back has changed everything even more for Cork in that new environment. 

In last year’s championship, Cork’s average score (in normal time) was 0.19.5. In the second half against Meath, Cork landed 0-19.

Their highest score last year (in normal time) was the 0-24 they posted against Limerick. Against Meath, Cork clocked 0-30.

The new rules have seen scorelines skyrocket but that 0-30 (white flags) barrier has still only been broken on 11 occasions (in both the provincial, All-Ireland and Tailteann Cup) in the last two seasons.

One of those matches (when Westmeath clocked 0-31 against Cavan two weeks ago) was after extra-time while seven of those other ten games were routs, the majority of which were Division One teams against inferior opposition. 

In that context, Cork’s 0-30 against a side that reached last year’s All-Ireland semi-final is even more impressive.

The next step now for Cork now though, is to maintain that consistency and move further from the shadows and into the mainstream.

Cork have hinted at real progress in other years too and the bubble has always burst. 

Cork are on a roll now but this group are no longer looking to just break even with their own expectations. 

It's a huge ask but there would be no better time or place to exceed those expectations if Cork could take Donegal down in Ballybofey on Saturday.