Jack O'Connor preached the same mantra in his recent book. And if Billy Morgan intends to join them in winning an All Ireland in the 21st century, then he'll have to live by that dictum too. As they're currently constituted, the only side that Cork are capable of beating in this year's All-Ireland quarter-finals is Sligo. If they're drawn this evening to play Harte's or Pillar Caffrey's team then Cork and Morgan will have to display a daring that has been hitherto unseen.

Last weekend in Portlaoise Morgan rightly praised the resilience of his own players as well as the quality and spirit of Louth's football but for over a year now the honesty of his own team is unquestioned. If perspiration had the greatest weighting in deciding this All Ireland, if it really was a matter of who wants it the most, then Sam 2007 would be a face-off between Dublin and Cork.

But it's not. Inspiration as much as perspiration is what will dictate Sam's and everyone else's destiny, and right now Cork, along with Sligo, are the most deficient of the remaining contenders in that department.

On the surface, Cork have made significant offensive strides this summer, running up tallies of 2-14, 2-18, 1-13 and 0-16, scores they would never have accumulated last year.

But it's not that simplistic.

They're conceding more than they were last year because they're turning the ball over more. Kerry have been their only opponents that are a top12 team and even then the Munster final was the first real occasion Tom O'Sullivan and Aidan O'Mahony had been mandated to backbone a defence.

Ultimately Cork have two main avenues for scoring: hit Michael Cussen, like they did for five minutes in the Munster final but have barely done since, or run the ball, like they astutely did in the second half in Portlaoise.

They still need to look to score those ways, especially with Tyrone and Dublin lacking either a recognised or experienced full-back, but to sustain a challenge against those sides in Croke Park, they're going to have to play a more up-tempo, fluid, creative game. And right now, Cork's starting 15 does not have the necessary flair or pace in their football.

The amount of ball turned over between the two 45s last weekend was startling, but then maybe it shouldn't have been. From numbers two to nine, Cork simply have too few players who are comfortable with and can kick the ball. It's the half-forward line though that really needs an injection of class. As of now, Morgan is attempting to become the first coach in over a decade to win an All Ireland without a playmaker.

Cussen might be another Donaghy but where's Cork's Brosnan or O'Sullivan, Giles or McGuigan, or even their John McEntee, Jason Sherlock, Raymond Mulgrew?

What to do? Restore Noel O'Leary to the half-back line.

Sacrifice either Pearse O'Neill or Derek Kavanagh, the survivor partnering the brilliant Nicholas Murphy.

Above all, do what they did in the last five minutes in Portlaoise and move James Masters out to the half-forward line and inside finally unleash under-21 star Daniel Goulding. Inside Masters might kick three or four points from play against the Sligos and Fermanaghs but against the top eight, he's bottled up and held to a point or two. He can still pop over that tally from the '40, facing the posts, just like he did out there in 2005, while creating at least two or three more for the inside line.

Contrary to perception, Morgan is rather conservative. When Cork were humiliated by Fermanagh in 2004 he didn't use one player under the age of 23 even though Cork won a minor All Ireland four years earlier. In 2005 he finally gave Masters and youth a shot and was rewarded with some of Cork's most expansive football in a decade but since then he's bowed to his instinct of sticking with the tried, if not trusted.

Already it might have caused some damage; under21 star defender Eoin Cadogan will surely opt for hurling next year after been continuously overlooked by the footballers. But some things can be reversed, like his handling of Goulding. Dublin gave Mark Vaughan his head and it paid off and Goulding is a better finisher than Vaughan.

Kerry and Tyrone won the past two All Irelands by radically altering their teams at this time of year.

The alternative, of course, is to keep going as they're going, headlong into the usual five or six point defeat to a top-five team. Because if you keep doing the same things.