What Cork’s hurling future holds – the bigger picture needs to be seen 

THERE’S no doubt that Cork hurling fans will be left feeling disappointed with what we’ve seen from the side so far, and there is a strong chance the Rebels will take a fifth consecutive Munster Championship defeat this weekend, ending any All-Ireland series hopes.

Whether Cork win or not, it’s almost guaranteed that this will be the fourth successive Munster Championship in round robin format where Cork fail to qualify for the final.

The last time Cork managed to make the Provincial decider was in 2018, where the Rebels fought back from eight points down to defeat Clare and take the title.

Since then, we’ve seen Limerick win four of the next five All-Ireland titles, and all five Munster titles.

All Cork have to show for since then is an All-Ireland final appearance in 2021 that most of us would rather forget.

BACK AND FORTH 

Despite the incredible success at U20 level over the past few years, Cork haven’t been able to show any sort of substantial improvement with regard to results at senior level.

Apart from that 2021 run where the Championship returned to its knockout format, Cork have hardly impressed.

Cork have managed just one quarter-final appearance since then, and it’s looking highly likely that will remain the case until at least 2025.

It’s easy to feel like there’s been very little progress, but I do still feel this is a transitionary period with this team. 

When you look at the group of players as a whole, the bigger picture becomes a little clearer.

THE SQUAD 

You’ve got the big names like Seamus Harnedy, Patrick Horgan, Conor Lehane and Damien Cahalane who are all into their thirties and at the latter stages of their careers. They are what’s left of the last truly competitive Cork team.

Then you’ve got a wealth of players, all either close to or currently in their prime as hurlers. 

They are Seán O’Donoghue, Mark Coleman, Darragh Fitzgibbon, Robbie O’Flynn, Declan Dalton and Shane Kingston.

That contingent are all players who have the quality to be part of an All-Ireland winning team, at least for the next three to five years.

Then you’ve got what has emerged in the past three and four years, the supposed “golden generation” primarily made up of U20 winners, all under 24.

Shane Barrett, Alan Connolly, Brian Hayes, Eoin Downey, Ciarán Joyce and Ethan Twomey are those who have made starts this year, while you’ve also got Brion Saunderson, Cormac O’Brien, Robbie Cotter, Cathal McCarthy, Daire O’Leary, Micheál Mullins and Ben Cunningham on the panel.

Obviously, those names won’t all reach their potential, but the number of quality young players in and around the group is certainly a positive.

However, there is one thing about the start of Cork’s 2024 Championship that does surprise me.

If you take the players involved in the defeat to Clare (starting fifteen and subs used), the average age is 25.8. 

If you exclude the use of the substitutes, it only drops to 25.1.

Looking back to round one against Waterford, the average age of the starting 15 is surprisingly high at 26.7. 

With the substitutes, it drops to 26.0.

When you compare that to the 2021 All-Ireland final, Cork’s average age was 25.1 on the day, including the substitutes used.

Kieran Kingston’s final game in charge (2022 All-Ireland quarter-final v Galway) the average age of the starting 15 was only 24.9. 

That number rises to 25.1 when the subs are added.

Obviously, players get older – that’s how time works, and that’s a factor here.

But it is surprising to see that the average age isn’t dropping, but rather increasing – given that Pat Ryan took the U20s to All-Ireland success two years in a row, and worked with many of the young players now on his Cork senior panel.

I would have expected to see a little more integration with the younger players at this stage of his tenure, because it has to happen eventually.

This Cork side is certainly not going to win an All-Ireland title this year, and probably won’t next year either.

Will Harnedy, Horgan, Lehane and Cahalane be starting in 2026, when Cork “have” that potential All-Ireland winning team?

Seems pretty unlikely to me.

If Cork lose again this weekend, there’s no reason not to experiment for Tipperary away, and give Championship experience to those who Ryan will be starting in 2026.

Why not? 

If there’s nothing left to play for, use the game as a building block for the future.