THE All-Ireland series begins for the Cork footballers on Saturday evening when they host Meath in Páirc Uí Rinn (5.30pm).

The Rebels will be eager to put their Munster final defeat behind them in this Round 1 clash.

Losing to Kerry in Killarney is always difficult for Cork to take, but falling short against an All-Ireland champion side missing several first-team regulars felt like a missed opportunity. Cork’s return of 1-2 in the second half is a statistic that will have particularly frustrated manager John Cleary.

‘We were disappointed with the way we played. I think we’re capable of better than that,’ Cleary admitted after the Munster final.

The ideal response would be to make a statement against a Meath side that edged Cork 1-22 to 2-17 in the Division 2 league final earlier this season.

The new All-Ireland SFC format adds further significance to the tie, with the winners progressing to Round 2A and moving to within one victory of a quarter-final place. The losers, meanwhile, drop into Round 2B where another defeat would bring their season to an end.

There is no doubt both teams will be desperate to avoid that added pressure heading into their next outing.

The Royals come into the game having gone more than a month without competitive action following their shock Leinster quarter-final defeat to eventual champions Westmeath.

Like Cork, Robbie Brennan’s side will feel they left a provincial title behind them, particularly after the promise they showed earlier in the year and their run to the 2025 All-Ireland semi-final.

One of the main talking points surrounding the Cork team is again likely to be the goalkeeping position. After starting back-to-back games, Micheál Aodh Martin was left out of the starting line-up for the Munster final, with Patrick Doyle coming in. Doyle performed solidly against Kerry, with Cork winning more kick-outs than they lost, and he could do little to prevent David Clifford’s goal.

The other selection concern centres around Brian Hurley and Dara Sheedy, who both missed the provincial final through groin and hamstring injuries respectively. Cleary isn’t too optimistic about their chances for this Saturday, though.

James Conlon is one Meath player Cork will need to keep a close eye on. He scored 0-4 off the bench against both the Rebels and Westmeath.

This promises to be another fascinating contest between two sides who are rarely separated by much.