Diarmuid O'Sullivan insists Cork hurling was never as low as some outsiders seemed inclined to believe.
Kieran Kingston's Rebels were completely written off in many quarters before a sliotar was pucked this year but are into the All-Ireland semi-finals, having captured the Munster SHC with sensational victories over Tipperary, Waterford and Clare.
"Who documented the lows, the people outside of Cork? People not working in the systems? It's very easy for them to look in from the outside and say: 'Cork hurling isn't in a good position'," assistant manager O'Sullivan told The Irish Daily Star.
"I'd urge every fella to go around every Saturday for what, 40 weekends in the year the development squads are working and working. People on the outside can form those opinions - we know what's going on.
"To be honest, we were number eight ranked three weeks or a month ago so it doesn't really matter at this stage what people think we are or we aren't. We'll keep our own house in order, keep the outside out. Wherever that will bring us, it will bring us."
"There's people paid in high positions to make them opinions - it just worked out for us. We're over the moon. We put in another performance. We've three of three in this competition; we've another competition in five weeks' time."
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