Cork manager John Cleary says his side aren’t approaching this weekend’s All-Ireland SFC Round 2A clash against Donegal as a “free hit”.

The winners of tomorrow afternoon’s clash in Ballybofey (3pm) advance straight through to the last eight of the Sam Maguire Cup race while the losers will enter into the draw for next weekend’s third round games.

Speaking to EchoLive.ie this week, Cleary outlined clearly that the Leesiders are travelling to MacCumhaill Park this weekend in search of a victory against the Allianz League champions.

“This is no free hit for Cork,” he said.

“There’s a huge carrot for winning this game. You go straight into an All-Ireland quarter-final. We’re 70 minutes away from getting to a quarter-final. Our focus is on Saturday. Whatever happens after that, we’ll deal with it. But all we are now looking forward to is going to Ballybofey and trying to get a victory.” 

The Rebels boss added: “The key thing with Donegal is to try and go toe-to-toe with them and keep ourselves in the game. If they go two, three points ahead, they can drive on and make it seven or eight, and before you know it, you’re chasing an uphill battle. 

“We’re looking forward to the game. We think at our best we’re a match for anyone in the country. This game is probably up against the best team in the country at the moment, but the prize is huge for us."

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