Christy O'Connor: Cork hurlers may need to put more faith in new recruits

WHEN Pat Ryan announced his first team and panel of the year, for the Canon O’Brien Cup game against UCC – which was played on December 30 – there was a real novel look to the starting side, as was expected, especially when the UCC squad was also stacked with Cork players.

Cathal McCarthy, Daniel Harrington and Eoin Carey were all handed first starts, as was Darragh Flynn. Along with Flynn, Daire O’Leary, Conor O’Callaghan, Sam Quirke and Cormac Beausang – who were also part of last year’s championship squad – were also handed starting jerseys.

Five of the UCC starting team had played senior championship for Cork but Ryan was still able to assess a raft of players auditioning for a senior jersey, especially when the UCC side included four of Cork’s All-Ireland U20 winning team from last summer.

When Cork played Clare in the Munster league the following weekend, Ryan also handed a first start to Bríon Saunderson and Robbie Cotter. 

Ryan and his management used 24 players in that match, and would probably have looked at another couple of new or fringe players if their Munster league game against Limerick wasn’t called off on two separate occasions.

Ryan certainly can’t be accused of not looking at players; in last year’s league, Cork – along with Limerick – used more players (38) than any of the other 10 sides in Division 1.

The lack of jeopardy in the hurling league last year allowed for that level of experimentation anyway amongst the top teams; Clare, Galway, Kilkenny, Tipperary, Dublin, Wexford and Waterford all looked at 32 players or more during the 2023 spring.

And yet, Ryan still experimented more than any other manager, as more Cork players – 35 – started at least one game. 

As a comparison, Limerick had 33 players start at least one game while Kilkenny – who Limerick defeated in the league final – had 32 players start at least one match.

Limerick’s squad is so strong now that they could afford to experiment so heavily and still win the league at their ease. 

When it came to the championship though, Limerick used the same players who have done it for them before, and did it for them again. The only new or young player who was trusted was Adam English, but his game-time was limited to just 11 minutes across two cameo appearances.

The championship is an unforgiving arena that needs hardened championship campaigners to survive it. 

Ryan trusted those experienced players last year but what will his strategy be now this season? Will he continue to show the same faith in those players, or will he shake it up with more youth and fresh faces?

Limerick are the standard but it’s still much harder for Ryan to follow the same template of consistent selection as John Kiely, not just because Limerick have so many Hall-of-Fame players – but because they know how to win, whereas Cork are still desperately searching for that formula.

Cork could have beaten Limerick last year, only losing by one point. 

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They also only lost to Clare by the same margin, while they drew with Tipp. Cork were down key players in those games, which they have back now. Ryan was also in his first season as manager.  They have a new S&C coach too from last season. So is it a case of just polishing up on what they did last year to accrue that extra few percent to ensure that Cork at least get out of Munster?

That is the only bottom line for now but is it that simple either? 

Does the starting team need more of an overhaul? Does more faith need to be invested in some of the younger players for the championship? 

Does Ryan need to trust some of those younger players, fellas who have All-Ireland U20 medals, and who carry nothing like the same baggage as some of the more established players?

Outside of 2021, the only other time in the last six years that Cork reached an All-Ireland semi-final was in 2018, when they lost to Limerick after extra-time. Of the group who played that day, 12 are still on the current panel. 

As a comparison, Limerick have more players from that match still involved. 

But Cork can’t be compared to this Limerick group. Since that 2018 All-Ireland semi-final, Cork have reached five of the last six All-Ireland U21-20 finals, winning the last three they played in. Is it time for more of those players now to be given a starting jersey this summer?

They have to prove it first in the league, but, with Ryan keen to ensure that Cork at least finish in the top three in a competitive Division 1A, he may not be able to be as liberal with his experimentation policy as he was last spring.

Nine of the current 37-man squad have yet to play championship but it’s going to be harder anyway for some of those younger players to prove themselves this spring considering where they currently find themselves on the S&C ladder.

In last year’s league, Derek Lyng used six players from the Kilkenny U20 side which won the 2022 All-Ireland title, but only two – Billy Drennan and Timmy Clifford – got any game-time in the championship, with both making three appearances.

The days of transplanting a load of young players into a senior team have long passed but Ryan will still be keen to look at all of his squad players at some stage over the next two months.

What Ryan will be looking for most though, is to see if Cork can consistently win tight games. 

And if some of those new players could yet be the difference in making sure that Cork are on the right side of those results during the summer.