At some point in the 72 hours it took Brian Cuthbert to decide not to seek another year as Cork football manager, the thought must have stuck: what if?

Rarely has a season swung in such opposite directions as Cork’s just did, and indeed Cuthbert referenced yesterday. “From being within a few seconds of being crowned Munster champions to making our All-Ireland championship exit at the hands of Kildare at the weekend has been difficult for me, the players and backroom staff,” he said.

“The short period involved demonstrates the tight margins that exist between success and failure at intercounty level.”

Cuthbert has been in charge of Cork for just two years, taking over at the end of 2013 from 2010 All-Ireland winning manager Conor Counihan.

Appreciation

He extended his appreciation to the Cork county board “for extending every support possible to myself and the team in the course of the league and championship campaigns.”

The search now begins for a successor, with potential candidate Peter Creedon, who recently stepped down as Tipperary manager, already ruling himself out.

Cuthbert joins a growing list of football managers to step down after their county exited the championship, with Jack Sheedy (Longford), Brian McIvor (Derry), and Tomás Ó Flatharta (Laois) also making way in recent weeks.

There is still some uncertainty about the exact intention of Cork hurling manager Jimmy Barry-Murphy, even though he has another year to go, having being given a two-year extension to his current term at the end of 2014.