Colm O’Neill and Cork both looking forward to better times

Colm O’Neill would be forgiven for not laughing at a knee injury joke.

When is the last time you did an interview without being asked about your knee? But he does laugh despite his cruciate ligament snapping in the month of March – 2008, 2011 and 2013.

Each time O'Neill, easily one of the most naturally gifted Gaelic footballers in the land, has returned. Still only 27, the bank official with GAA championship sponsors AIB, will be expected to drive Cork past Tipperary in Thurles on Sunday to set up another Munster football final against Kerry (who face Clare in Killarney).

In hardly a golden era for the Kingdom, Cork are without a provincial title since 2012. Really, they have had to accept their demotion from the elite tier of football counties. They simply do not belong there at present. That must be hard for O’Neill to countenance.

“Not on last year’s showing, we don’t,” he says.

And still this is fickle talk. Cork had Kerry, All-Ireland champions who only coughed up Sam Maguire in September, nailed to the rack last summer only for a dramatic recovery followed by a typical collapse in the subsequent replay.

There followed a change of their managerial guard as a terrible looking nine-point defeat to Kildare ended their season at Semple Stadium.

They return to the same venue this weekend, perhaps highly underrated.

Big injuries

So, how is the knee Colm?

“I try to forget about the past really. I haven’t picked up any small or big injuries in the past 12, 15 months. Hopefully we can keep it that way now.”

A reason behind Cork’s chronic inconsistency is sought.

“ I think it has a lot to do with each player’s individual attitude. If you are not at that level. Not 100 per cent focused. Maybe we took Roscommon [in the league] a little bit for granted and maybe the same happened against Kildare last year.

"Maybe we didn't take them . . . look it, that's up to each individual. We have to remind ourselves of that ahead of the Munster championship. It's about getting the head right."

It seems like an obvious question to ask so where does that mental strength come from –the county board, the management or senior players?

“I don’t think it is county board really. The players have to drive it. At the end of the day you have to look in the mirror.”

The problem with Cork, besides their mental fragility, is the type of football they play or the lack of a distinct style. O’Neill is non-committal.

“Every team has maybe two or three different game plans. Obviously one of them will definitely be the use of a sweeper. We used it in some games in the league. We used it to some degree against Dublin and I think it worked for 50, 60 minutes.

“Eventually teams get to grips with the sweeper. It is not a new phenomenon now. Teams are well rehearsed with counteracting it. It is something we have in our locker.”

But surely the top teams all have distinct systems in place. Dublin, Donegal, Tyrone, even Kerry. Can we expect a Cork philosophy?

“I don’t think we are hammering down any one game plan. Maybe have one or two different plans for whatever team we are going to be facing.”

Maybe that is the problem. Or one of them.