WINNING START

For only the third time in ten years, Cork footballers have won their opening national league game. It may not have been pretty against Cavan, but getting the victory without playing well is a positive for John Cleary’s team. There is more to work on, but the Rebels go into the Louth game this Sunday knowing another win could see them top of the table after two games. Considering Derry and Tyrone both dropped points on the opening weekend, it was important for Cork to get two league points on the board.

SENSATIONAL SHEEDY

Dara Sheedy has been touted as one to watch in Cork football for several seasons, having impressed with Cork minor and U20 teams, and the Bantry Blues man announced himself on the senior inter-county scene against Cavan. Keep in mind, Sheedy is eligible to play for the U20s again this year, but when he came on for his clubmate Ruairí Deane in the second half, he added speed and aggression to Cork’s play. From collecting a short Cork kick-out, starting attacks and setting up Steven Sherlock’s two-pointer from play, he caught the eye.

Bantry Blues' Dara Sheedy.

SHERLOCK OR HURLEY?

We’re only one league game in, but here we are already. Steven Sherlock took the headlines after Cork’s win over Cavan, kicking two pressure two-pointers to win the game. It led to the obvious question: why wasn’t he used from the start? Brian Hurley, who started, played well, hitting 0-3 from play, including a two-pointer on the half-time buzzer. The Castlehaven man also scored 0-5 against Kerry in the McGrath Cup final. It’s a conundrum for management, who will feel they got it right last weekend, as Sherlock, on for Hurley, made an instant impact.

LACK OF GOALS

Cork’s inability to find the net has been a problem dating back to last year. Since round four of the 2025 league, Cork have only scored three goals from play. Considering that’s across 11 games, it’s a worrying statistic. Of the winning teams in round one of the league, Meath were the only other side that failed to find the net. Scoring four two-pointers against Cavan again underlines Cleary’s side’s shooting ability, but for the Rebels to reach the next level, they need goals. Seán McDonnell and Mark Cronin came closest against Cavan, but to no avail.

BATTLING QUALITIES

Cork may have let a three-point lead turn into a seven-point deficit, but coming back into the game and hitting 0-8 on the trot to win showed great belief. Sherlock and Sheedy may have been standouts in the Rebel revival, but contributions from Colm O’Callaghan, Ian Maguire, Seán McDonnell and Matty Taylor cannot go unnoticed either. As John Cleary referenced afterwards, the team was in a similar situation against Down away last year and ended up on the wrong side of the result. This time, they didn’t lie down and battled to the end. A sign of progress?

PUNISHED TURNOVERS

Of Cavan’s total, 1-10 came directly from Cork errors, either a turnover or a lost kick-out. With Louth this weekend – a team known for getting scores through hard work – Cork must do better in this facet of the game. For Cavan’s second-half goal from Ciarán Brady, the turnover came from a shot dropped short, the Ulster men broke forward and struck the net in less than a minute. The ease with which Dara McVeety got the ball away to Brady with three or four Cork players around him was also a worry. Improvements are needed to get the win in Drogheda.