Cork footballer Donncha O'Connor believes that the current squad are experienced enough to go to the next level and not be remembered as nearly men. O'Connor admitted that he was surprised to win the Munster final, given the half time lead that Kerry held, but feels that was a major turning point in their season. "It would have been a disaster had we lost the Munster final, because we have taken some heavy defeats of Kerry over the past few years, and we just had to win that one, especially after what happened in last year's All-Ireland final," said O'Connor. "I think we had that in the back of their minds coming out for the second half - it was do-or-die really - and going back to Croke Park as Munster champions is a huge boost for us. The Cork forward is in no doubt that they need to improve their performances if they are to progress further in the championship, starting with Sunday's match against Kildare. "Most of us have been around for a few years now, and it's time we stood up to the mark at this stage." Tweet

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