After the long and often drawn out process of the Sam Maguire round robin series, the championship proper will get underway this weekend with the playing of All-Ireland preliminary quarter-finals. Eight counties will feature in the fixtures, although Cork arguably have more intrigue surrounding them than any of their peers.
Cork have gone through a difficult period in recent years, with their last Munster title coming all the way back in 2012. There have been moments of promise since then, although they have failed to produce their best form on a consistent basis.
There are now hopes that this is slowly changing.
Cork's form in this year's championship has been very promising, most notably in their win over Donegal in the round robin. While they would fall short against Tyrone last time out, that one could have been different were it not for a black card at a pivotal stage in the contest. They will be favourites for this weekend's meeting with Louth.
While some are getting excited about the Rebel County ahead of the knockout games, others remain uncertain about their prospects in 2024.
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Philly McMahon feels familiar issue could hurt Cork this summer
Consistency has been an issue for Cork down through the years, and while they have improved quite a bit in recent times, some feel that will be their undoing in this season's championship.
Writing in the Irish Independent, former Dublin star Philly McMahon said that he feels the issue is something that has remained with Cork going all the way back to his playing days.
When I was playing, Cork were a team that intrigued me.
We’d play them in challenge games and they’d generally impress but they would rarely live up to that potential in championship.
So I wasn’t completely surprised when they beat one of the country’s form teams, Donegal, in Páirc Uí Rinn in the group stage.
Similarly, I wasn’t surprised when they failed to follow that up with a result against Tyrone that would have seen them top the group and give them a two-week break. They blow too hot and cold to be considered genuine All-Ireland contenders.
Cork will take on Louth on Sunday afternoon, a game that many people will expect them to win. Of course, that will be no easy task considering the recent form of Ger Brennan's side.
An All-Ireland quarter-final would be a fair expectation for Cork this season considering how they have performed at times over the course of the year. Whether they can reach that stage, or perhaps go even further, still remains to be seen.
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