THERE’S something different about the Cork footballers this season.

Some may call it resilience. Others, resolve. But perhaps bouncebackability best describes the character of this Cork football team.

Since the start of the year, the Rebels have repeatedly shown an ability to absorb a setback and respond.

On March 1st, Cork lost by 20 points away to Derry in the league, an unexpected hammering that dented the Rebels’ promotion hopes. But this group responded by beating Kildare at home and Tyrone away to secure promotion from Division 2. That’s bouncebackability.

We saw it again when Cork regrouped after a disappointing defeat to Kerry in the Munster final and impressively defeated Meath in the opening round of the All-Ireland series.

That ability to respond to setbacks suggests this Rebels revival is built on a solid platform.

‘The two games you're talking about, going to Derry we had put in a big performance against Meath the week before and I think we were down six or seven first-teamers going up there,’ Cork boss John Cleary tells The Southern Star.

‘Halfway through the second half we were maybe seven or eight points down and lads decided to go for it. It didn't work out and we leaked scores at the back and got a big beating.

‘We had two weeks then and we were in Portugal in between that and the Kildare match, so it gave us time to recover.

‘After the Munster final against Kerry, lads were disappointed and we didn't have to say an awful lot when we came back into training. Particularly with a home game against Meath afterwards, lads were determined to put on a show for the supporters because a huge crowd went to Killarney and I think a lot of our lads felt they had let them down. They were anxious to put their best foot forward against Meath.

‘When the crunch came in the second half, in fairness to the lads, they stood up and were counted.

‘But all we do is take each game as it comes. Whether you won the day before or lost the day before, all you can do is take a lesson or two from it and move on because you're playing different opposition the next day. That's the way we've approached this year.’

The approach is working, though fans should remember this Cork team remains a work in progress. There will be hiccups along the way, as seen against Derry and against Kerry, but this group is showing grit – they’ll need to lean on this in their All-Ireland SFC Round 2A clash away to Donegal in Ballybofey on Saturday (3pm). This is as tough as it gets.

‘Donegal won the league and are favourites for the All-Ireland, and I don't think any team wanted to be heading up there. Logistically as well, it's the longest journey we could have had,’ Cleary admits.

‘We're looking forward to it now. It's a championship game and this is what you train for. You've got to play the top teams. We'll be doing our damnedest to get up there and get a result.’

This isn't mission impossible either. Donegal will be favourites, especially at home, and confidence is high after their win in Kerry, but two seasons ago Cork shocked the Ulster men in Páirc Uí Rinn.

‘We always feel that if we're playing to the peak of our powers we're a match for anyone in the country,’ the Cork boss said.

‘Taking into consideration how formidable Donegal have been this year, they're a serious challenge, but Down beat them in Letterkenny in the Ulster championship. The task is not impossible.

‘We know that if we can perform we'll be there or thereabouts. They like playing in Ballybofey and it's a bit of a fortress for them, but last year at the beginning of the All-Ireland championship Tyrone went up there and got a win.

‘We're looking at ourselves in one respect. We can't do much about how Donegal will play, so we'll try to be the very best we can and see where that takes us.’

It’s important to note, too, that Cork have a fallback plan if things go awry in Ballybofey. If Cork pull off a shock win, the reward is an All-Ireland quarter-final spot. If Donegal triumph, then the Rebels still have another chance to reach the last eight as they will go into Round 3.

‘Our total focus is on trying to get through against Donegal because there's a huge advantage in having a week off afterwards and going straight into the quarter-finals,’ Cleary insists.