Former Mayo centre back James Nallen believes Cork should be more concerned about their lack of consistency than their appalling All-Ireland final record ahead of Sunday's clash with Down.

The Rebels have lost 16 out of 22 finals and for the current crop of players, a third final loss in four years could await them if they fail to perform against a county which boasts a 100 per cent winning record in Sam Maguire Cup deciders.

But Nallen, who lost four All-Ireland medals with Mayo in 1996 (after a replay), '97, 2004 and '06, says they should be more worried about their indifferent form than anything else.

"The media make a big deal out of Mayo losing finals, but as a player it never crosses your mind," said Nallen, who did win an All-Ireland club medal with Crossmolina nearly a decade ago.

"You don't think 'We lost the final last year so we are going to lose again this year'. A player always goes into a game positive about its potential.

"Cork come into this game under pressure because they were identified as a team who could win it from early in the season. But if they evaluate themselves, they will know that they haven't played the best football of the last two.

"They have been inconsistent this year and if they haven't found the reason for this, there's no reason why they won't be inconsistent again on Sunday. If I was a Cork player, that would be a concern."

He continued: "With Mayo, we kept meeting Kerry in finals and Cork are the same. They have different opposition this time and that will give them confidence.

"They will expect a different sort of game against Down, but that on its own isn't going to be enough." Tweet

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