First retirement came for Noel O'Leary, then it came for Paudie Kissane. Then it arrived for Graham Canty, Pearse O'Neill and Alan Quirke. Then the Australians came for Ciaran Sheehan and for new Cork football bainisteoir Brian Cuthbert there are far fewer stalwarts left to choose from.

Last night Sunday Times journalist Michael Foley joined the lads on Off The Ball to tackle the situation in Cork and how the county's seniors can recover from the loss of so many key players in such a brief period of time.

"I think a lot of it was [voluntary on the players' part]. If you look at the age profile and the amount of involvement for some of them in the last season, the likes of Paudie Kissane was holding his place and could have gone on longer, but maybe it was a big ask for Graham Canty, Noel O'Leary and Pearse O'Neill to keep up the commitment."

Ciaran Sheehan ©INPHO/James Crombie

With the departure of former manager Conor Counihan, Cork are transitioning from the 2010 All Ireland-winning team.

But the loss of 22-year-old Ciaran Sheehan to Aussie Rules club Carlton is a huge blow according to Foley.

"Losing Ciaran Sheehan is an absolute disaster. I think Sheehan's departure is the biggest of them all," said Foley.

What style of play can Cork fans expect in a revamped team and under Cuthbert's management?

Foley believes systemic planning will be vital for Cork and sees a lack of coaching culture in Cork football.

"Probably the best measure would be the Cork minors that he had a few years ago who would have got to an All Ireland final. In a few of the big games in that campaign, they would have fallen behind but showed an awful lot of grit and determination to stick to the gameplan and pull themselves back into matches.

Brian Cuthbert ©INPHO/Cathal Noonan

"The thing about Cuthbert that would come across is he's young, he'd be considered a very capable guy and very organised. He's been very involved in the revamp of the underage structures in Cork over the last couple of years. He was brought in as a selector this year and from what players have been saying, his influence wouldn't have been that huge because all five selectors had particular roles. It's a little bit 'suck it and see' but expect a Cork team that will be very organised and well-briefed on their opponents. I would also expect an attempt to implement more of a defined tactical structure on the team which a lot of us have said has been lacking in Cork over the last couple of years."

©INPHO/James Crombie