GAELIC FOOTBALL:WHILE THE focus of this evening's action at Croke Park is on Dublin, the All-Ireland football champions Cork come to town celebrating a significant anniversary this week. Three years ago yesterday Conor Counihan became manager of the team in about the least propitious circumstances anyone could imagine.

This day, five months ago Counihan watched as his team won the county’s first All-Ireland in 20 years.

His appointment took place just hours after the Cork county committee had unceremoniously fired Teddy Holland, the man they had attempted to force on the footballers in succession to Billy Morgan at the end of 2007, after he had stood his ground having been asked to resign on foot of the binding arbitration that ended an entrenched row between the county officers and senior players.

Perhaps you could say the timing wasn’t that bad, as things could only improve but Counihan was taking over a team that had been humiliated in the previous September’s All-Ireland final and had already forfeited two Division Two fixtures.

The first match under his baton came in the quiet surroundings of Kiltoom where a predictably rusty Cork managed to run out winners against Roscommon.

Just four of the players that lined out that afternoon start this evening although another four are unavailable. It was the beginning of a long and at times painful road to All-Ireland success.

But progress was incremental and steady. Later that year Cork made a surprisingly quick rehabilitation by taking back Kerry’s Munster title on a weird, rain-swept afternoon in Cork when they had looked finished at half-time.

Even more positive – if also frustrating – was the fact that the county recorded its best Croke Park result against Kerry in the drawn All-Ireland semi-final a few weeks later. Both that match and the replay weren’t particularly exhilarating performances but the team showed admirable resistance in hitting back late both days.

A year later, a remorseless league campaign ended with the Division Two title and promotion secured and just one defeat. Since Counihan took over there has been just one defeat in the league each year.

Tonight Dublin are the ones under examination. Can they beat the champions and consolidate their claim as league – and by extension championship – contenders? Cork, however, have their own agenda. After the caution and matt-finish of last year’s championship success, can the team fulfil its supporters’ hopes that with the Sam Maguire back home in the county the players will be transformed into the more flamboyant collective of 2009?

Whatever happens, the county has reason to be grateful to the man whose quiet demeanour and sensible instincts took the Cork footballers from the abyss to their current status as dual league and championship title holders.