Cork manager John Cleary was pleased by the manner in which his side held on to defeat Roscommon and in doing so book a place in the All-Ireland SFC preliminary quarter-finals.
The Rebels knew they had to claim a victory at Laois Hire O'Moore Park to stay in the race for Sam Maguire and that's what they achieved after a 0-19 to 0-17 victory.
Five unanswered points before the break alongside their ability to keep the scoreboard ticking over in the third quarter, stretching their advantage to six points at one stage, gave Cleary's side a buffer that the Rossies couldn't overcome.
Roscommon came with a late rally but, just like the Meath game, their efficiency in front of goal let them down as they spurned a host of presentable chances.
Daniel O'Mahony's late block on a Diarmuid Murtagh two-point effort at the death was pivotal.
Cork will now go into Monday's draw, knowing that they will be on their travels next week as they aim to keep their season going.
Relief was in the air afterwards, with Cleary telling RTÉ Sport: "It was fairly heart-stopping at the end. It came down to the last play and we made a great block down. They were going for the two-pointer."
"They showed great bottle" - Cork delivered against Roscommon today to keep their summer alive #RTEgaa pic.twitter.com/cRffCT64Df
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) June 14, 2025
In assessing the overall contest, the Rebels boss felt he side deserved it, stating that they were due a win in such circumstances.
"In the first half I thought we should have been out of sight but we missed our scores," he said.
"We had a great first 20 minutes of the second half and then we were hanging on, a few mistakes. It was that kind of game, the ball was slippery, the ball was wet. We got over the line. We needed that win, we were due that win. We have another day out."
The spirit shown by his charges also pleased the manager, when adding: "We asked them not to die and that's what we wanted to do, we didn't die.
"This team was due a win like that because for too often, coming down the line, we have left games behind us. Going back to Louth last year (preliminary quarter-final), it was a close game. We're happy out, we'll see what the draw brings on Monday."
Special praise from Cleary for midfielder Colm O'Callaghan and attacker Mark Cronin also featured prominently in his post-match debrief.
"Colm was a colossus. He gives 110% all the time and he'll never be found wanting when the pressure is on. A great lad, made of the right stuff.
"Things did not go right for Mark the last day. He showed what he can day. He's a very good player."
Cleary's counterpart Davy Burke was offering no excuse following the Rossies' exit.
"We've come out of the group with one point. It's not enough to progress. We got promoted this year and I think that was glossed over by the media. We blooded a huge amount of players but overall it's disappointing to exit the championship at this stage of the season."
Watch an All-Ireland Football Championship double-header, Monaghan v Down and Donegal v Mayo, on Sunday from 1.30pm. Follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app. Listen to updates on Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1. Watch highlights on The Sunday Game at 9.30pm.
