CORK have closed the gap on the top teams, insists Joe Carroll, and Saturday’s All-Ireland quarter-final against Dublin will show by how much.

When the counties clashed at the same stage last season, Dublin dominated in a 3-15 to 0-7 victory en route to All-Ireland success.

Twelve months on, this latest meeting – back in Parnell Park again, 7.30pm throw-in – is a chance for the Rebels to show they are moving in the right direction.

‘I think if you look at the last two games, we have closed the gap,’ manager Joe Carroll says, referencing Cork’s round-robin games – a defeat to Armagh followed by an away win against Waterford that rescued their championship season.

‘Even though we got beaten by ten points by Armagh, there wasn’t ten points in the match. Against Waterford, even though we were six or seven down at half time, there wasn’t six or seven points in it because we missed a lot of scores.

‘If we can become a little bit more consistent, that gap will get smaller and we won’t constantly be trying to catch teams.

‘It is an opportunity to try and close the gap, alright.’

Cork will be without both Dara Kiniry (foot) and Rachel Leahy (shoulder) for the rest of the season. Both regulars started in the win against Waterford.

‘They’re two big blows. Both players started the last day, so they’re significant losses,’ Carroll admits.

A positive, though, was the character Cork showed in rallying to beat Waterford, 1-15 to 1-14, in their last game. In a must-win match, effectively knock-out, they delivered.

‘We were on the verge of being dragged into a relegation battle but we got the win we needed, so hopefully we’ll take confidence from that,’ Carroll says.

‘Hopefully it gives the players a boost and helps our preparations for Dublin. We’ll see if it leaves us in a better place than we were this time last year.’

He knows what is needed to shock the Dubs: consistency. Deliver that, and it will give Cork a chance.

‘We need to produce a more consistent performance over the hour,’ Carroll says.

‘When we get our scoring chances, we need to take them, and we can’t afford to give away vital goals at vital times.

‘We were looking back at the Waterford game and the goal we conceded could have been prevented quite easily. It gave them a six-point cushion at half time when there was very little between the teams.

‘In championship football, you can’t afford to be giving those things away.’