Rebels out of the frying pan and into Dublin fire

Out of the four All-Ireland quarter-finals, there is a school of thought that Saturday evening's fixture at Croke Park has the potential to be the most one-sided.

Even the most optimistic Cork football supporter – and those numbers have faded away even from a relatively small starting point – is unlikely to be entertaining the possibility of an All-Ireland semi-final date with neighbours Kerry, or a shot at last year's finalists Mayo.

The challenge facing their footballers is a formidable one.

It has been a fixture down through the years that has produced some memorable games - All-Ireland semi-finals in 1983 (replay), 1995 and 2010 spring to mind, but a rivalry it is not.

Of the 16 championship encounters, only twice have the Dubs (1989 and 2010) failed to emerge victorious. And both those occasions were by the bare minimum.

A downturn in fortunes since Sam Maguire last resided on Leeside is reflected in the fact that Dublin have more All-Ireland titles (7) in the last decade than Cork have had games (6) at Croke Park.

Just one win in those half a dozen games – getting past Galway by the bare minimum in 2013 - highlights a challenging period where Cork have lurched from one setback to the next.

The teams have been operating in different galaxies, never mind leagues.

Having narrowly avoided relegation to Division 3 in the spring, Cork entered the championship ranked 14th overall given their final league placing, with the Tailteann Cup more of a concern than a return to the top flight.

Those of a sunny disposition with red-tinted glasses could rightly point to the fact that Dessie Farrell’s men will be joining the Rebels in Division 2 next season, but the men from the capital have shown that even if they are experiencing something