Cork shouldn't be in relegation conversation

Lee Keegan says that the Allianz Football League's Division 2 has been very entertaining so far this spring, but that Cork's form has been the big disappointment.

In the last decade, Division 1 was seen as the most significant in the league, as it contained the best teams in the country.

But, that has all changed in the last two years with the two All-Ireland champions - Dublin and Armagh - having plied their trade in the second tier before going on to lift the Sam Maguire.

A further layer of intrigue has been added in recent years with the fact that teams that don't reach their provincial final can only qualify for the All-Ireland championship race by finishing high up in Division 2.

The Rebels have been drawn on Kerry's side in the Munster Championship making them outsiders to reach the provincial decider, thus putting a greater importance on their remaining two league fixtures.

They're currently sixth in Division 2, with Louth to come to SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh this weekend, before finishing their campaign away to Cavan.

"The biggest disappointment from Division 2 has to be the Cork footballers," Keegan said on the RTÉ GAA Podcast.

"There's so much talk about the tide has stemmed a little bit. All of a sudden they're on the cusp of potentially going into Tailteann Cup.

"Even going into Munster for Cork, you just don't give that as a guarantee to get to a final - that's just the reality.

"And I know people are saying they've lost players. But for a population [the size] of Cork and the footballers that they've had before them."

Cork sit on four points from their opening five games, two clear of Down and four clear of Westmeath. They're level on points with Sunday's opponents Louth, and two behind Cavan.

All told, the Rebels' survival in Division 2, and the chance to push on and finish high enough up the table to secure Sam Maguire status, is very much still in their own hands.

But Keegan says they haven't shown enough so far to suggest that they're going to win their remaining league fixtures.

"[They] still have some [great players] there, they should never be on the cusp of relegation from Division 2," the former Mayo defender continued.

"It's bananas for me and the way they're playing at the moment, it's not a foregone conclusion that they're going to stay up.

"I think they're going to struggle this weekend."

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