Winning league a problem for some

Larry Tompkins was asked a simple question after Cork's facile National Football League quarter-final win over Derry in Croke Park yesterday. "Do you really want to win the league?" His response could have come from any of the other three surviving managers chasing the title. "Nobody's pulling up once you make it to this stage," he replied.

The semi-finals of the NFL will take place at Croke Park on April 25th when Cork meet Meath and Armagh face Dublin. Three of the teams actually emerged from the same group - Division 1A - of the league, the exception being Meath.

Yesterday's action in Croke Park was extremely disappointing. In the first match of the double-header which attracted a crowd of 20,923, Cork had effectively ensured their progress by half-time (after playing into the wind in that first half) thanks to three goals in a four-minute purple patch. Mark O'Sullivan (twice) and Joe Kavanagh found the net to set Cork up for a 3-14 to 16 win over Derry.

One concern for Cork was an ankle injury incurred by centre-fielder Liam Honohan. He suffered ligament damage.

Dublin's winning margin over Kildare wasn't as large, but their advance was every bit as comfortable. Kildare scored two late goals - a penalty from Niall Buckley and a second from Dermot Earley - to put a more respectable gloss on the scoresheet.

Armagh had just one point to spare over Sligo at Longford, while the foundations for Meath's 0-14 to 0-10 win over Kerry in Limerick were laid by a strong first-half performance.