IF ONLY football flowed like this all the time. Cork and Louth set about it hammer and tongs for an hour at Portlaoise yesterday and if the final scoreline flattered the Louthmen somewhat they could take credit for their part in a match which restored some excitement to a troubled sport. Pity was there were so few there to see it.

What to make of Larry Tompkins's Cork team. Yesterday he shuffled the deck comprehensively before the throw in, sending Steven O'Brien to full forward, Mike O'Donovan to wing back, Martin Cronin to crowd midfield and Colin Corkery to centre forward. So clever they'll confuse themselves we thought.

Yet, for some golden periods during the next hour Cork played the best football we have seen in an age. They pulled everyone back deep, leaving just O'Brien and Aidan Dorgan inside the Louth 40. O'Brien had a wonderful game, thriving on an abundance of thoughtfully placed passes. Dorgan wasn't far behind.

Where O'Brien looked for the quick pass to a flying forward, Dorgan went for the jink past a flailing defender. They were a thrill to watch.

Behind them Colin Corkery had one of his greatest games in a Cork jersey. The proof of it bookended the game.

Cork's first score of the game was a penalty which Corkery converted. The big man latched on to a loose ball out near the right touchline, some 50 yards from the Louth goal. With a defender bothering him as a bee will bother a bull, he looked up and sublimely floated the ball like a feather on the breeze over the Louth defence and into the arms of O'Brien. Full back Gareth O'Neill had no option but to pull O'Brien to the ground before he scored.

By way of conclusion, take a look at Cork's two final scores of the hour, a couple of points which relieved the late siege set up by Louth. Both came off Corkery's boot while moving under pressure outside the 21 yard line. Fine scores which emphatically killed the game off. Everything in between was just as assured.

If Cork have qualms about yesterday they will relate to the fact that having seemingly killed of Louth, they never set about tramping down the dirt around the headstone. There was always something rumbling.

The sides were level after 10 minutes, Corkery's penalty having been cancelled out by free kicks from Stefan White and Patrick Butterly (two). Then Cork stitched in six points without reply during their best spell of the game.

It was all vintage stuff, but the fifth point in this little run was a perfect exhibition of the economical use of men and space. Sean Og O hAilpin, in at wing back following the departure through injury of Liam Honohan, hit a sweet diagonal pass, all of 30 yards, into space on the left touchline.

Corkery duly arrived to take receipt, in one movement catching and reversing the angle of the attack with another 30 yard pass which fell straight into the path of Ciaran O'Sullivan. The umpire was bending for the white flag before O'Sullivan had the ball in his grasp.

What impresses about Cork this year is the amount of options they have. Brian Corcoran has had mixed results at centre forward but yesterday, with the comparative freedom of a wind posting, he played well, scoring two points and fluffing a couple of goal chances.

The extra involvement seemed to suit Corkery better than the loneliness of the corner forward spot ever did. O'Brien is irrepressible and around midfield the supply of ball is guaranteed by a platoon of big bodies.

Further back, too, things are looking up. Niall Cahalane is unwithered at centre back while Eoin Sexton had a terrific game at corner back yesterday. O hAilpin was solid and dependable when introduced and used the ball thoughtfully throughout.

Bafflingly, however, for a team so brimming with life they appeared to doze off for a period in either half. Anything less than full throttle play was enough to encourage Louth in the belief that they had a chance.

With the help of a couple of late points from Colin Kelly and Patrick Butterly, they managed to get to the break just four points adrift and then scored the first point of the second half to raise the stakes again.

Their attack lacked edge, however, and the second half introduction of Ollie McDonnell and Alan Doherty made one wonder why neither had been in from the start. McDonnell, in particular, troubled the Cork defence with his movement and confident carrying.

Cork did enough to pull six points ahead again, although the decision to send John Donaldson back to mark O'Brien for a while was having an effect on the Nemo man's input.

Then entering the third quarter, Louth found their feet. Seamus O'Hanlon, Stefan White and Gerry Curran all had points to which Cork failed to reply. Louth ran in three or four bad wides during this period as well, as Seamus O'Hanlon and Ken Reilly enjoyed a stretch of dominance at midfield.

Going into the final 10 minutes, with three points between the sides and the momentum suddenly with Louth, we moved to the edge of our seats.

Corkery killed the romance with his two clinical points, however. It was the first suggestion that the footballing summer might yet bring thrills comparable to hurling.