LAST JUNE, CORK’S 2022 football championship adventure ended in a quarter-final defeat.
They were soundly beaten. Game and spirited for a chunk of their encounter with Dublin, but left flailing in the second half as their opponents surged clear on the scoreboard.
Twelve months later they return as a member of the All-Ireland last eight. Same stage of the championship, different mood off the back of successive victories over Division 1-ranked opposition.
And armed with different personnel.
Brian O’Driscoll, Ruairi Deane and Killian O’Hanlon were all not involved in that 11-point defeat against the Leinster kingpins.
When Cork try to take down Ulster’s standard-bearers Derry on Sunday, that is the trio set to be pressed into action as the starting half-forward line.
They have nailed down those spots for Cork’s last four outings against Louth, Kerry, Mayo and Roscommon. Defeat was tasted in the Munster opener on Easter Sunday at the hands of Clare, Deane and O’Driscoll starting while O’Hanlon came on as a substitute.
Since then they have all become regulars, offering a blend of running power, sheer athleticism and game smarts that have served Cork well in aiding the progress they have made.
All three have their comeback stories. When they took to the Cusack Park pitch at in April, it was a milestone for all.
29-year-old O’Driscoll’s first senior championship outing since July 2018 when Cork were humbled by Tyrone by 16 points in Portlaoise.
32-year-old Deane’s first such appearance since July 2021 when Cork were flattened by Kerry by 21 points in Killarney.
And 30-year-old O’Hanlon’s first time sampling that experience since November 2020 when Cork were held off by Tipperary in the Munster decider in Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
O’Driscoll and Deane both suffered the ruthless side of the inter-county game when squads are assembled. O’Driscoll was not involved after that 2018 season concluded, while Deane was not recruited last year.
O’Hanlon’s hopes were wrecked by injuries. He tore his cruciate in April 2021 in Cork’s third collective gathering after training resumed in the wake of the Covid-enforced lockdowns. A quad injury surfaced before Cork’s qualifier with Louth last summer and then he pulled his hamstring a few days out from the Dublin game.
The return to frontline action has been savoured by all.
“Those lads, they were in it and they were gone and their idea was that if they got a chance again there would be no stone left unturned,” says Cork boss John Cleary.
“When they were away, the feedback was that they really missed it, that they wanted to be part of it and they wanted to give it 110%. They’ve proven to be great leaders because a lot of them are experienced as well.
“They’re all big, strong, physical athletes and they’ve got themselves in tip-top shape, so that has definitely helped the group.”
Cleary drew on his own experience when dealing with the players. O’Driscoll’s talent was glaring in the underage ranks, his form so persuasive that Cleary brought him into the Cork U21 camp in 2012 when he was still eligible for minor. That same season Deane started at midfield in Tralee as Cork won a Munster final against Kerry.
O’Driscoll was a four-year Cork U21 but such a productive run did not yield instant senior riches. His career stalled and after four campaigns in the wilderness, Cleary called him back in last winter.
“In his mid-20s, things didn’t go well for Brian,” reflected the Cork manager last Saturday after the victory over Roscommon.
“I wasn’t there then but last year, I was looking at the county championship matches – I was looking at Carbery and he was starring every day.
“When we were appointed, he was one of the first calls I made and he was absolutely chomping at the bit. I know that he went away and did his own personal training regime.
“After the Carbery game, I gave him a buzz and said, ‘We’ll give you a couple of weeks off,’ and he said, ‘There’ll be no weeks off here for me, I want this more than anything.’
“He’s given us everything since he came in, he’s been a great leader and he’s fulfilling the promise that he showed at U21 level.”
When Roscommon were pushing furiously for a levelling point in the last gasps of that tie, it was O’Driscoll who made the critical interception. It was a snapshot of what the trio have injected into the Cork side.
Working in harmony has produced the desired effect. Take the early moments of the second half against Kerry when O’Driscoll feasted on the break from a kickout, transferred to Deane who rushed through and offloaded to O’Hanlon for a blast over the bar.
Or the flowing team move in Navan in the opening group game against Louth that culminated in Deane feeding O’Driscoll for a close-range finish to the net.
There were flickers on the local scene last season that they were moving well. Deane and O’Driscoll helped divisional outfit Carbery reach the Cork senior football quarter-finals for the first time since 2013, Deane shooting 3-18 across the championship and O’Driscoll surpassing that with a tally of 1-27.
Deane helped his club Bantry reach the county premier intermediate football final last autumn, O’Hanlon captained Kilshannig to win the county intermediate A football equivalent.
Resilience has been required. Deane is another who has bounced back from a cruciate tear in 2014, while O’Hanlon made his Cork senior debut in 2016 and then endured a spell away from the panel before he bounced back to force his way into the reckoning as a starter in the journey to the Super 8s in 2019.
If the chances of impacting again appeared to be receding from the outside, the players involved put themselves in the shop window.
Speaking in November 2021 to The Southern Star newspaper, O’Driscoll left no room for doubt about his desire to spark again in Cork colours.
“I definitely have a burning desire inside me to get myself back to the top table.
“You are trying to get yourself as fit as you can and as strong as you can and to play to the best of your ability, but in the back of my mind over the last couple of years, it’s never gone away, the fact that I want to get back into the Cork jersey again.”
The opportunity came and he has grasped it.
They all have.
Croke Park on Sunday awaits.