William Buckley ready to play his part as Cork U20s seek to avoid complacency

It’s a double defence for Cork as the oneills.com Munster U20HC commences tomorrow night.

Walsh Park in Waterford is the destination for a 7pm throw-in, with Cork featuring ten of those who played in last year’s All-Ireland final win over Offaly. Three years ago, the Rebels romped to minor glory, winning all of their games – including the Munster final against Waterford – by double-digit margins.

William Buckley picked up Celtic Crosses as part of both sides and the St Finbarr’s man is likely to be central to the Cork hopes in the current campaign, too.

Given the levels of expectation around the squad, manager Ben O’Connor sought to remind the squad last autumn about the importance of looking ahead and not back.

“Even when we met up in October, before the season, he was quick to say that it’s in the past and that this is a new season and a new team,” Buckley says.

“We’re all focused on this year; the past is the past. It needed to be nipped just in case any bit of complacency was to kick in, so you might as well get that chat out of the way before the season gets started.

“We have a good psychologist [Jennifer Hayes] there as well to keep us grounded, so it was well worth getting it out of the way.”

When Cork won the minor in 2021, the competition was a Covid-impacted straight knockout, whereas last year they topped the Munster U20 round-robin before seeing off Clare in the provincial final and then Offaly.

“It’s great to have all of these games, to build confidence,” says Buckley.

“It really stood to us last year because we had slow starts in the championship.

“We eventually got going, the games stood to us. So we’re looking forward to it.”

In tandem with the U20 pre-season, Buckley was involved in the Fitzgibbon Cup, where he is in the second year of a commerce degree.

He enjoyed the exposure to what can be a different type of hurling, playing alongside talented players from outside of Cork.

“It’s different,” he says.

“The pitches are a bit tougher but you build great friendships as well, particularly with the Tipperary, Kilkenny, Limerick lads.

“We obviously feel short against UL, I felt we were a bit unlucky in that game, but it was a great experience.

“It was my first year playing it and I was happy enough with how it went. Hopefully we can push on next year as we have a young team.”

Buckley is a capable operator in midfield or attack and is happy to serve his teams wherever he’s chosen.

“I suppose I like playing anywhere in the forwards really,” he says, “once I’m playing is the main thing, really.

“If I was to pick one, it’d be anywhere in the half-forward line I suppose, drifting into midfield and getting it and carrying it forward.

“That would probably be my favourite position but, as I say, it’s playing would be the main thing. Any position in the forwards, I’d take.”

As well as shining in red and white and red and black, Buckley has been making his mark in the blue and gold of the Barrs. He was part of the 2022 Co-op SuperStores Premier SHC victory, the club’s first in 29 years, a victory which had deep foundations.

“We obviously won a senior,” Buckley says, “but the lads around my age, we would have had great coaches involved.

“Donal O'Grady and Jimmy Barry[-Murphy], they would have come in on-board with us for U16s and minor. The likes of those fellas have given a lot back to the club, they helped us to push on to win a senior two years ago, which was great.”

Learning directly from such legendary figures could only be inspirational.
“They are obviously role models around the club and around the country,” Buckley says.

“They are great fellas. When they were involved with us, they were very positive, they were great to have around. They gave an extra buzz, there was always a good buzz around training.

“You'd get people coming out to watch it when they'd see them involved. It was great to have them involved, and they definitely helped us break into the senior panel.

“You could see that when we won it and hopefully we can give it another rattle soon.”

Buckley has also benefited from the expertise of those involved in the U20s management team – O’Connor has Barrs men Ronan Curran and Ger O’Regan in the set-up along with Terence McCarthy (Midleton) and William Biggane (Newtownshandrum).

“Ben’s great, obviously,” he says.

“He’s fierce positive around the group and pushes us fierce hard in training.

“He’s a great manager to have. Himself and [Ronan] Curran were obviously great players and they’re always there to give us feedback. There’s a real good buzz and the management, in fairness.

“I would have Ger since U14, in the development squads, he would have been with us.

“Then, obviously, Curran and Ben came in last year and it’s been very successful. They’re a great partnership, in fairness.”

Making the step up to club senior and inter-county U20 hurling has meant the need to improve strength-wise. While Buckley will never be a sky-scraping full-forward, his other assets counter-act that.

“I suppose I would have had to do a bit of extra gym-work as I needed to get bigger and a bit of speed work,” he says.

“That’s where you have to take your advantages. If you’re not blessed with height, which I’m not, you have to look to other things like speed.”