SINCE the National Football League was inaugurated in the mid-twenties, Cork's record in the competition has been nothing to write home about.

It wasn't until 1952 that the Rebel County claimed the first of their five titles with a team skippered by Dunmanway's Eamonn Young and which also numbered Denis ' Toots' Kelleher, Nealie Duggan, Denis Bernard, Mick Gould, Donie O'Donovan and Weeshie Murphy among its leading lights.

Kelleher, Duggan, Bernard and Gould won a second medal in 1956 when Paddy Harrington – father of world-class golfer Padraig – was another member of Cork's league-winning side. Cork were denied a league-championship double by Galway in the All-Ireland final that year, and they suffered a traumatic defeat at the hands of Louth in the championship decider in 1957.

It took a late goal to earn the Wee County side a two-point victory, and it was no surprise that Cork's fortunes went into decline following that bitter experience. Nine years were to elapse before the Rebels emerged from Munster again, and they retained the provincial crown in 1967.

Included on the team which lost the '67 All-Ireland final to Meath were Billy Morgan and Frank Cogan of Nemo Rangers, Mitchelstown's Mick Burke, Urhan's Con O'Sullivan, and John O'Mahony and Mick O'Loughlin of Kanturk. It was a new-look Cork side that regained the Munster title in 1971, and two years later the Sam Maguire was brought home to Leeside for the first time since 1945.

The team that bridged a 28-year gap for Cork was captained by goalkeeper Billy Morgan, who was chosen as footballer-ofthe-year in 1973. And, in romping to victory over Kerry in Munster, and Tyrone and Galway in the All-Ireland series, Cork looked a real class act, with such as Ray Cummins, Declan Barron, Jimmy Barrett and 19-year old Jimmy Murphy key figures in an attack that scored 13 goals over those three games.

Containing other quality performers in Dinny Long, Kevin Jer O'Sullivan, Con Hartnett and the seasoned Frank Cogan, it was easy to appreciate why Cork were strongly fancied to complete the two-in-arow in 1974. But they were shocked by Dublin in the All-Ireland semi final, and the following year saw the emergence of Mick O'Dwyer's all-conquering Kerry team which, aside from 1983 when they were floored by Tadgh Murphy's last-gasp goal at Pairc Ui Chaoimh, monopolised the scene in Munster until 1987.

Cork had contested two National League finals in the interim, losing heavily to Roscommon in 1979 before bouncing back to register a sweet victory over Kerry 12 months later. An immaculate midfield display by Bantry's Declan Barron was instrumental in paving the way for Cork's 0-11 to 0-10 win over the Kingdom in 1980.

Others to contribute generously to Cork's third league triumph were the evergreen Billy Morgan, his Nemo Rangers clubmate Dinny Allen, Kevin Kehilly of Newcestown, John Evans of O'Donovan Rossa, and dual-star Jimmy Barry Murphy of St. Finbarrs.

Having earlier shared in Cork's win over Limerick in the hurling final, BarryMurphy achieved the unique distinction of winning two league medals in the same season. Cork's fourth league title in football was garnered in 1989 when they beat Dublin in the home final at Croke Park before accounting for New York over two games in New York.

The victory over the exiles came at a price as regular full back Colman Corrigan of Macroom sustained a serious leg injury which ultimately forced him into premature retirement. Still, Cork managed to win the All-Ireland as well in 1989, beating Mayo in the final.

They went all the way in the championship again in 1990, and, coached by Billy Morgan, they remained a major force for the best part of a decade, winning a total of seven Munster titles between 1987 and 1995. Larry Tompkins, Niall Cahalane, Shea Fahy, Conor Counihan, Danny Culloty, Teddy McCarthy, an All-Ireland medalist in both hurling and football in 1990, and Stephen O'Brien were some of the outstanding players to feature during an era of unprecedented glory for Cork football.

Since beating Dublin at Pairc Ui Chaoimh to collect a fifth league title in 1999, Cork haven't tasted success at national level in football, aside from their victory over Monaghan in the Division 2 final last year. But they have made significant progress under Conor Counihan over the last two seasons, and the indications are that a major breakthrough could be just around the corner.

The All-Ireland is a realistic target for Cork this year, and Counihan and his backroom colleagues will be leaving no stone unturned in a bid to strengthen the squad over the next few months. To this end, they will be giving several players a chance to stake a claim for a call-up during the league campaign, which gets underway with an away game against Monaghan next Sunday.

Yet, while winning the league might not be a priority for Cork, Counihan doesn't need to be told that a good showing in the competition would be no load facing into the championship. In the past decade, for instance, Kerry, on three occasions, and Tyrone have managed to complete a league-championship double.

And perhaps it's also worth noting that Cork's previous two league triumphs were immediately followed by an All-Ireland final appearance, resulting in a victory over Mayo and a narrow defeat by Meath in 1989 and 1999 respectively. It remains to be seen how Cork will shape up in the league, given that experimentation is likely to be very much the order of the day this season.

But if they can make a decent impression, and maybe even go on and win the title, it would almost certainly enhance their prospects of going one better than last year in the championship.

- Noel Horgan's