A TRIP to Tullamore awaits the Cork footballers this weekend and the aspiration will be to attain a result that retains their place atop the Division 2 standings.

I did meet someone from the backroom team before the start of the campaign and six points from the opening three games was very much a target in their minds before a ball was kicked.

On form, the expectation will be for Cork to do just that given Cork have achieved the first two parts of that bargain, while their opponents sit dead last after two defeats with a combined negative scoring difference of 14 points.

Louth had five points to spare over the Faithful County footballers before Kildare prevailed by three clear goals. The favourites tag will justifiably hang on Cork heads this weekend, but as I cautioned here last week, history tells us the reality may not be so straightforward.

I harked back to a comprehensive defeat against the same opposition at the same venue 20 years ago in a game that was also played in early February. A Cork team with a host of household names were comfortably bested by an Offaly team backboned by the McNamees, Alan and Niall, and Ciarán McManus.

There is more recent warning for this Cork team also as a number of players from both teams were involved also when Offaly beat Cork in an U20 semi-final in July of 2021. The win was no fluke and Offaly defeated Roscommon in the subsequent final by three points to claim a famous All-Ireland title. Their talisman on that team was the dynamic, recognisable figure of Cormac Egan, who is one of six players from the semi-final win over Cork who played in the reverse to Kildare two weeks ago also. On the Cork side, Tommy Walsh, Darragh Cashman and David Buckley are current panellists who suffered disappointment in that clash.

Indeed, we played Offaly in a challenge game with the U20s two years later and lost that also, so there is no cause for anyone in this part of the world to take the result on Sunday for granted. That said, if Cork are to be considered promotion contenders this year, then Sunday presents another opportunity to bank another valuable two points on the journey. Confidence will be low in the home team and if Cork can take the momentum from the closing stages against Cavan and the more complete performance against Louth, then the win is very much attainable.

The ground at Tullamore has had a nice facelift since we left with our tails between our legs on February, 6th of 2006 and hopefully the recent heavy rain will abate in order to give both teams the opportunity to show their wares in decent conditions. That is far from a given, though, so Cork must be prepared to win the battle first on Sunday, if necessary. Having made three changes after the close shave in the opener against Cavan, one of which was enforced by Sean Brady’s injury, the expectation is that Cork will stick mostly with the 15 who started against Louth.

The one change that we might expect is the return of captain Ian Maguire in place of Seán Walsh given that he has had another couple of weeks to work on his post-honeymoon fitness. Patrick Doyle has had a couple of nervy moments in the two games so far, but has impressed at times also with his willingness to stand at the tee long enough to allow players to find a yard of space, and then his ability to pick them out with the mid-range kick-outs that are so important in the era of the 40-metre arc.

The defence in front of him restricted Louth to 0-12 and a fortuitous late goal and so will likely be trusted to do the same against Offaly. We flagged last week that cover is a little light on the defensive side in comparison to midfield and up front, so the management will be hoping there are no further injuries in that sector of the pitch. Maguire and Colm O’Callaghan will likely resume their partnership at midfield and if they can produce something close to their best, can ensure a plentiful supply of ball to the Cork forwards.

As we stated last week, Cork went with an extra ‘scoring forward’ against Louth when starting Brian Hurley and Steven Sherlock together for the first time in a long time, and it paid dividends. John Cleary and company will be hoping for more of the same on Sunday, and assuming that Cork get the mental approach right for the game, we can expect that they will make the spin south on Sunday evening still in pole position, irrespective of what Meath do in their game against Louth.

This may not strike people as the most glamorous of fixtures, but it carries the same importance as more eye-catching upcoming contests against the likes of Meath and Tyrone will. Cork to prevail, but not without being made to work for it.

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Those of you reading this will by now know the result of the Sigerson Cup final which was down for decision on Wednesday night in Croke Park, with University College Cork taking on their Limerick counterparts in a Munster derby. There will have been strong West Cork interest in this one, as several of the brightest young talents from this neck of the woods get to strut their stuff on the hallowed turf.

My own club will have particular interest in how Ciarán Santry fares, and hopefully he can go well after a torrid few years with injury, while Clonakilty are represented on the treble by Dan Peet, Chris Kenneally and Conor Daly. Jacob O’Driscoll might technically be from a Carrigdhoun club, but we can go along with the city person’s mantra that everything west of The Viaduct qualifies as West Cork so we can claim him too.

For their part, UL count Newcestown’s David Buckley among their ranks and will hope to get game time after scoring off the bench in the semi-final. Cork senior Tommy Walsh is another who will be facing several of his county-men from the Limerick ranks.

Offaly hurling manager Johnny Kelly was vocal in his complaints about the college competitions overlapping with the early rounds of the leagues, and there is certainly more to be said about this issue in due course.

My own experiences of trying to please club, county and college from 20 years ago might be worth revisiting at some stage, and there will be others who can tell tales of the old Sigerson weekends when quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals were all played on consecutive days, but we don’t have the space for either now. Hopefully, my old alma mater can claim another title after what will hopefully have been another rip-roaring game in a competition that has provided some great football in the run to the final, with the Cork and West Cork contingents to the fore, preferably. A win for UCC and another for Cork on Sunday would make for a good week.