John Horgan on hurling: Cork are right to be ruthless in the league

THE CORK hurlers' first competitive outing of 2022 was in stark contrast to their last one in 2021 when they were on the receiving end of a drubbing from Limerick in the All-Ireland final.

This time it was the opening game of the National League against Clare and the positives certainly outweighed the negatives at a bitterly cold Páirc Uí Chaoimh last Saturday evening.

On any journey there has to be a starting point, the foundation blocks to be laid towards the faraway destination point.

Many people don’t put a whole pile of emphasis into a league encounter in the first week in February. They are probably right but it was important, nonetheless, to put down an early marker.

League campaigns are very much about building momentum for the far more important championship assignments that lie ahead. 

You don’t want to be going into the championship on the back of four or five league defeats.

This season there is no great gap between the conclusion of the league and the beginning of the championship, the latter starting in the month of April. Therefore you have to have your house in order much earlier.

Despite being runners-up in last season’s championship, there is a strong enough school of thought that Cork have fallen down the pecking order despite the very successful chapters written by the minor and U20 winning teams. The perception is that it will take a bit of time before the best players from those grades are ready to compete with Limerick.

That may or may not be the case and only time will be the telling factor.

Save for the opening quarter against the Banner, Cork turned in a very positive display that was certainly heartwarming in the wintry weather. Despite playing with a strong wind, Cork trailed by a point at that juncture but thereafter it was all good from a home viewpoint.

By half-time the margin in Cork’s favour was turned around completely and it was a nine-point gap between the sides. Similar advantages have been wiped out in the recent past but Cork’s combination play of skill, pace and scoring ability ensured there was no fear on this occasion.

The momentum was maintained and in the end, a dozen Cork players scored. That is certainly very good going although in the Walsh Cup final in Leinster 16 Dublin players registered in their defeat of Wexford. 

Cork were energetic in most areas and some of the scores that were delivered were a joy. Both goals from Tim O’Mahony and substitute Luke Meade were well-constructed and well-executed.

At the beginning of any campaign, there is particular attention paid to the newcomers and Ciarán Joyce had a very satisfying debut. 

Joyce is looked upon as one of the brightest prospects to enter the Cork hurling equation for quite some time and lining up at midfield in the number eight jersey he settled into the fray very quickly, very similar to how Irish rugby newcomer Mack Hansen did on his debut against Wales.

You might ask what that is all about? 

Well, Joyce is a key Castlemartyr player and Hansen’s mother comes from Castlemartyr. A proud day for the village.

Joyce secured three fine points and played a nice bit of ball, the first of many that he will surely play in a Cork senior jersey.

His midfield partner, Darragh Fitzgibbon was in fine form too, rifling over a quartet of fine points while Mark Coleman, in the number six jersey, exhibited why the Cork management handed him the captain’s armband. So too did Shane Barrett with his hat-trick of white flags.

And the folk in the Blarney club will have been delighted to see Padraig Power enter the fray too.

Shane Kingston did well from the placed ball, belted over a few from play as well in a game that was well and truly over as a contest long before the last whistle.

LOSSES

It has to be noted that Clare were without Tony Kelly and other key players like Shane O’Donnell, Aidan McCarthy and the returning Peter Duggan but they were a distant second-best here.

Getting off on the right foot was important for Kieran Kingston’s team, all the more so playing on home soil. Cork have just one more home league game remaining before the championship, against Galway, with three away assignments, starting next Sunday in Offaly. Cork will be expected to win again before the far tougher tasks against Limerick, Galway and Tipperary.

What Kingston and his selectors should want most from the league is to get every player fighting for his place. Competition must be intense.

A greater physical presence throughout the field has to be the case too. Last Saturday’s game was nowhere near the intensity that the championship will bring. 

But, as they say, not bad for starters.