Key dates for Cork hurling fans: Everything you need to know about road back to Croker
Cork's Mark Coleman clears from Waterford's Patrick Fitzgerald at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh. Picture: Eddie O'Hare
If you were told before the trip to Ennis on Easter Sunday that Cork would finish in the top two and get to a Munster final you'd have gladly taken it.
The aim all season was to get back to Croke Park and they're now one win away from that.
They're guaranteed two more matches. Even if they're beaten on Saturday, June 7, they'll still have an All-Ireland quarter-final on the weekend of June 21-22 against Dublin, who finished third in Leinster, or the Joe McDonagh Cup champions.
Victory over Limerick would send Cork straight into an All-Ireland semi-final on Saturday, July 5, where they'd take on either the Leinster runners-up or Tipp, assuming they sweep past the losers of Laois-Carlow.
So overall, Cork are where they want to be, having won their two home Munster group games for the first time in six attempts.
The manner of the draw away to Clare, coughing up a nine-point lead, and the hammering at the hands of Limerick, matching the 16-point gap from 2021, has slammed a lid on the hype. Few will expect Cork to get the better of John Kiely's side, gunning for seven in a row in Munster.
Talking up Cork as All-Ireland favourites was complete nonsense in the first place of course. While Cork won their first league since 1998, Limerick had zero interest in the competition this spring.
They narrowly lost twice to the Rebels in 2024 and one of those games was down the Páirc. They were caught with a few injuries to key players. The age profile of the Treaty team and their strength in depth meant they were always likely to bounce back with a vengeance, just like Kilkenny did back in 2014.
Pat Ryan summed it up perfectly this week. "Fellas would be building you up, hoping that you'd get a kick in the ass. I thought there was a lot of twisted stuff around it, to be honest with you."
Rebels have a naturally confident air about them, bordering on cocky, but it's all good-humoured stuff at the same time. Liam MacCarthy hasn't been welcomed back to Leeside in 20 years, we're all painfully aware of how difficult it is to climb the steps of the Hogan Stand.
Cork were overly impressive in beating Waterford and they've a long list of walking wounded, so expectations will be low against Limerick.
There are plenty of questions in of how they set up to cut off the space that opened up across the half-back line for Tom Morrissey, Cian Lynch and Gearóid Hegarty to exploit. That's before you try and curb the enthusiasm of Aaron Gillane.
Darragh Fitzgibbon will be in midfield again so that means Shane Barrett stepping up. Breaking even with Hayes would benefit Cork's full-forward line, starved of possession two weeks ago.
Ryan and his selectors could come up with the answers and still be beaten. That's how difficult this test is.
In many ways, not the worst position to be in.
Limerick v Cork, TUS Gaelic Grounds, Saturday, June 7.
Kilkenny v Galway, Croke Park, Sunday, June 8.
Dublin v winner of Laois/Carlow; Tipperary v loser of Laois/Carlow, June 14-15.
Munster final runner-up v Dublin/Laois/Carlow; Leinster final runner-up v Tipperary/Laois/Carlow, June 21-22.
Munster winners, Saturday, July 5; Leinster winners, Sunday, July 6.
Provincial final repeats are not permitted.
Sunday, July 20.
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