FIVE YEARS AGO Mark Collins helped spearhead a night of glory for Cork football.
He shot 0-7 from centre-forward when Cork destructed Kerry in the Munster U21 football final
But rather than be the springboard for senior success with Cork, the intervening years have been filled with deep frustration for Collins.
He’s watched a clutch of that Kerry team go on to win Sam Maguire, contest other All-Ireland finals and feature prominently in the conversations about the Gaelic football elite.
“A lot of the Cork players on that team have come through to the senior panel and we probably haven’t kicked on like we should have,” admits Collins.
“We are at an age now, that U21 team now are 26, and there are a few of us still around so it is time we started performing.
“We have been around long enough that we can consider ourselves senior members of the team.”
Embarking on his sixth senior season, Collins has accumulated plenty football experience.
He’s dabbled in hurling as well, lining out at underage level with Cork and getting drafted in to Jimmy Barry-Murphy’s senior setup briefly in 2014.
At club level Collins still plays with Douglas – hitting 0-4 recently in a Cork SHC tie against Na Piarsaigh – but it’s becoming more increasingly difficult to squeeze a hurling career in.
“It was a great experience just being in with them,” recalls Collins of his 2014 involvement.
“(But) football was always my number one. You can’t really go to Peadar (Healy) or any of the selectors to say you have to miss training to go play hurling with my club.
“It’s tough. Unfortunately it’s a sacrifice you probably have to make when you play inter-county football.”
Cork take their first steps on the 2016 championship road on Sunday in Thurles, coming off the back of a spring where they plunged through the relegation trapdoor.
The walloping they suffered against Roscommon stood out as a serious setback, the continuance of a trend of dispiriting defeats of late.
“If there was one thing went wrong that day a hundred things went wrong,” admits Collins.
“Roscommon were unbelievable that day and we were as bad as you could possibly imagine.
“They are massive disappointments and it is how our team has been perceived, that we have these defeats in us.
“But we have put a lot of good performances together as a panel over the last few years as well. We know there is a bit of potential in us.
“The way Roscommon turned out it might have scared us a bit and we had to go a bit more defensive but there is loads of potential in that Cork team.
“Loads of kick passers. You can play good attractive football with this Cork team and be successful with it.”
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