ALL-STARS/US-Trip: After all the upheaval of the past few months, Cork defender Anthony Lynch is looking forward to a clean slate. Preparing to resume training under Larry Tompkins for the new season, he is delighted with the gentle return to the game as a member of the Vodaphone All-Stars teams due to play in San Diego this evening.

"Yeah, it's great to be here, especially at this time of year and it's nice to be on a tour like this before getting back to training," he said yesterday.

The stand-off between the Cork County Board and its senior teams was the most daring and sustained act of rebellion in recent GAA history. Instigated by the hurlers, the decision to withdraw from the league was backed by the footballers, with the support of manager Larry Tompkins.

Now, with the main issues regarding the players' concerns over treatment on the way to resolution, the players can prepare for the season ahead with renewed faith.

"Well, hopefully, that's the idea. For something like that, I felt it was highly constructive. It was done properly, and both parties seem to be happy with the arrangement. The thing is that it is over now and both teams will press on now and focus on the actual goals within the game."

However, the dispute just might place Cork teams even more in the spotlight this year and could create heightened expectations.

"Well, when everything is in place we feel we will be up to the level of most other teams. And that brings pressure. But there is pressure every year anyway with people saying you have to perform.

"So it's up to the team as a whole to get on with it, and in that way it's no different from any other year."

Cork glided through much of this year's championship, winning the Munster title and steering themselves steadily to the All-Ireland final. Against Kerry, they hit a brick wall.

"I dunno," Lynch says now, shaking his head when asked what went wrong. "I dunno, people ask me that all the time. I felt we were prepared well enough. It was just one of those days. I mean, Kerry had it the year before against Meath. That's no consolation to us, though.

"Personally, I felt that just everything went wrong. From a spectator's point of view, we must have looked very dead in the opening period because they were just all over us, to be honest. And they hit us with everything."

Yet for all that there was a period in the second half when Cork were just a point away from being right back in contention before Kerry finished it.

"Absolutely. But throughout last year we were inconsistent and it was the same against Kerry. It was the usual Cork thing where we seemed to be coming back - Fionán Murray got an unbelievable goal and things seemed to be going well, but at the end we were - what? Seven points away?"

So now, Lynch's main ambition is to help get Cork back into the position of challenging for the championship.

"I'm as motivated as I have ever been. I'm still young enough, and the entire team is, really. Playing Kerry is a motivating factor in itself and there is the thing of trying to make up for last year also. But really, we just feel the same as we do going into any new season. We are just keen to get back."

Lynch will play corner back on the 2003 All-Stars team, which is being managed by Armagh manager Joe Kernan.

Galway's John O'Mahony is in charge of last year's team.

The match is being played on astroturf, and the local GAA community expects a crowd of around 500 people to attend.