SEAN POWTER GETS set to return to Páirc Uí Chaoimh three weeks on.
June began with the Douglas man immersed in the central narrative of Cork’s tussle with Kerry.
The penalty awarded against him and the black card brandished in his direction, sparked plenty debate as Cork subsequently fell two points short in that game.
It looked a result that would see them finish third at best in their group, yet they staged an improbable revival last Sunday as they hauled Mayo back from six points down.
The prize is home comforts against Roscommon on Saturday, a familiar setting in their local venue.
For Powter there was no sense of personal injustice festering in his mind in the wake of that Kerry defeat.
“There was a lot of news around the penalty. But everyone kind of forgot I made the mistake before the penalty, so I kind of focused on that main thing rather than the penalty itself.
“There was a kind of sense of, outside the camp, ‘Oh we lost by 1(to Kerry) last year and it was two this year.’ There was a kind of feeling of contentment I suppose but in the camp we thought we let one get away and we drove that for the past two weeks.
“You can see the hunger from the forwards and everyone on the pitch, we wanted a big result, and thankfully we got one.”
Powter was reflecting in the aftermath of Cork claiming the scalp of Mayo. It marked only the fourth time the county had won a championship game against a Division 1 league ranked team, since the 2010 All-Ireland final success.
Last summer they showed promise during their ties against Kerry and Dublin, but faded noticeably in the last quarter.
Staying power is something they have targeted.
“This year’s main focus was, like we were kind of considered a 50-minute team last year, it was get the fitness levels up,” says Powter.
“And just see with added fitness levels and a kind of structure defensively where we can go. After the (Mayo) goal, they’re the kind of games in the past that kind of get away from us and we lose them by nine or ten points.
“But thankfully we went up and the response was something we missed for the past few years. Colm (O’Callaghan) got in and got a penalty and we responded very well from there.
“A long time coming but it’s all very nice to finally get over the line against a big team.”
The impact of Cork’s bench was critical in fashioning their comeback, 1-7 supplied by substitutes with Steven Sherlock striking 1-5 of that tally.
“I think the talk going into the game was Mayo’s bench were going to win them the game,” said Powter.
“We kind of put it to our substitutes and they came on and made a massive impact – they all kind of won us the game in the end.”
The chief prize secured by Cork was home advantage on Saturday against Roscommon.
After their early Munster setback against Clare, Cork’s season has turned.
“John (Cleary) always says there’s kind of a feeling outside, which Cork team is going to show up today. Thankfully we’re getting consistent and those kind of bad performances are not one in every second or third.
Hopefully now the Cork people come out and support us next week at home in a preliminary quarter-final and get behind the team because the work the lads are putting in is savage.
