Joe Kavanagh

What were your expectations for this year's championship?

"In Munster, it was looking like a Cork/Kerry final but the other provinces had unknown quantities about them. For us, it seemed like we had a good league campaign which snowballed into the championship and before we knew it, we were in an All-Ireland semi-final. The momentum just carried us through."

What is your earliest footballing memory?

"Probably going to the 1989 All-Ireland final and watching Dinny Allen lift the Sam and then being back a year later singing The Banks in the crowd with thousands of other Cork supporters. It's not all that long ago but it's what stands out."

What was your most memorable match?

"The 1993 All-Ireland final. It wasn't a happy day for Cork but it was still a final and the build-up to it was incredible."

Who has been your most difficult opponent?

"Hard to say, there have been so many. I couldn't really identify one above the rest. All defences are tough at this stage."

What is your view of the new Gaelic Players' Association?

"Is there a players' association? No, I know that some of the players have set something up and we'll have to see what comes of it. No one wants to see professionalism but some sort of reward would be nice. I'd also be all for 80-minute games. I think players would be well fit for an extra five minutes a half now. It seems like games are over before you know it now."

Enda McManus

What were your expectations for this year's championship?

"The general idea was that if we played as well as we could in every game, get as many lads playing that way as we could, then we'd see how far we'd go. You could say losing the last two years has been our own indiscretions, with players getting sent off."

What is your earliest footballing memory?

"Losing to Offaly in the minor in 1989 when we should have beaten them by three or four points. They went to the final but we could have easily beaten them but somehow let them back into it."

What was your most memorable match?

"The club final last year with Dunboyne. I read everything to a tee, everything just worked for me. It's very hard to explain when it's really going right for you."

Who has been your most difficult opponent?

"There's been a fair few of them. In training you'd have Graham and Ollie. The likes of Gerard Cavlan from Tyrone. I remember when I played Leo Turley of Laois. I seemed to play well on Leo whereas Leo would skin other lads."

What is your view of the new Gaelic Players' Association?

"I haven't heard much of it apart from what I read in the papers. It's hard to know but maybe we've reached a stage where it's time to give the players a voice. So far everything comes from the top table down and nothing from the field of play. It wouldn't do any harm to have a point of view coming from the field."