John Horgan on the young hurlers Cork need to step up for next season's Munster campaign

IT seems ridiculous to be having a conversation about next season's Munster Hurling Championship when it's so far into the distance.

But when the dates for the round-robin stage were confirmed last week there was a little bit more than just a passing glance to the schedule.

In the world of major music gigs, tickets can be purchased nearly a year in advance and if that was to be the case with GAA games, next April's Munster opener between Clare and Cork at Cusack Park would be well and truly sold out by now.

It was hugely difficult to get one's hands on a ticket for the July showdown in Croke Park between the two counties, so imagine what it will be like next spring when the same two collide again in a ground with only a quarter of the capacity of the GAA's headquarters.

Let's hope that when the TV schedule of games for next season is released that blockbuster of a game will be available free to air and not what was the case this year when three of Cork's Munster championship games were behind a paywall.

That, of course, is all for another day but already there is a realisation of how difficult it's going to be again to emerge from the province and the subsequent entry to the All-Ireland series. But that is the beauty of the Munster province, that is what has made it such a compelling battleground when the five counties confront each other. 

If it was tough for Cork this time to emerge, it may well be even more so next time, having to travel to the homes of two of the counties perceived to be above them in the pecking order of provincial and All-Ireland contenders.

Cork may have beaten Limerick twice this year, deserved winners on both occasions but the school of thought very much points to John Kiely's team bouncing back next season very strongly, maybe even stronger than before.

That may or may not be the case but it's worth noting that when Kilkenny were denied the historic five-in-a-row by Tipperary in 2010 many believed that was the end of their dominance. But, look what transired, the Cats won four of the five subsequent All-Irelands.

That came about to a great extent because of the depth of talent in the county at that time, something that certainly does not seem to be the case at this point.

Nobody is expecting that much change in Limerick next season and keeping an eye on the current club championship in the county, a few new players appear to be catching the eye, names like Cian O'Donovan with Doon, a brother of Darragh Cian Scully, Dromin/Athlacca, and Jimmy Quilty and Will Henn from Na Piarsaigh, others under the radar.

You would be expecting current players Colin Coughlan, Shane O'Brien and Adam English to be making a bigger impact in 2025.

So, expect Limerick to be very much in the chase again next time.

HOME COMFORTS

Of course, whoever comes out of Munster next season will very much depend on their two home fixtures, in Cork's case, Tipperary and Waterford.

In both instances one would be thinking along the lines of Cork being too strong, bagging the four points that would almost guarantee qualification from the province.

One might be a fool for thinking that because there has to be some sort of a renaissance in the Premier County and the only way for them is surely an upward trajectory.

Maybe somebody with a far greater insight into the happenings in the county might believe otherwise.

Waterford might be a different proposition altogether under the new stewardship of Peter Queally and they were desperately unlucky this year.

The club championships in all the counties are going up a few notches now and the time is fast approaching for players with intercounty playing ambitions to start putting their hand up. 

We shouldn't see a whole lot of change here on Leeside with the bulk of last season's squad still involved.

However, that's not saying that the squad does not need embellishing, of course it does. And in the revamped national league, whoever gets the nod from Pat Ryan has to put his shoulder to the pump quickly.

Cork's record in the secondary competition needs to change now and it's staggering to think that it's going to be 27 years next season since a Cork team took home that trophy.

Some people might not be overly concerned about how their county performs in the national league and there have been occasions that when a county was successful yet failed miserably in the championship. Waterford in 2022 a case in point.

However, the last two winners of it ended up a few months later with the McCarthy Cup alongside it on the trophy sideboard, Clare this season, Limerick last. In their glory days, Kilkenny had no problem in putting the two together.

Nobody is saying that Cork don't try in the league, don't care, but maybe a more positive approach to it and a bit more emphasis on winning it might be a forerunner for bigger things.

STEPPING UP

Next season is going to be massively important for the players who formed the backbone of the recent U20 successes.

Players like Ben Cunningham, William Buckley, Micheál Mullins, Diarmuid Healy, Daire O'Leary, Robbie Cotter, Darragh Flynn, to mention just a few are now a year or more older and more physically developed to impact. There is a considerable gap to the higher grade and only a minority make the successful transition.

Cork had great years under current senior boss Pat Ryan and Ben O'Connor and it's hugely important that more players from those winning teams come into the equation.

Easier said than done, of course, but more must follow in the footsteps of Ciarán Joyce and Ethan Twomey. We won't get a greater insight into the Barrs duo of Cunningham and Buckley because of their elimination from the championship but they are sure to come under the radar in next season's league campaign.

What a pity their clubmate, Ben O'Connor chose rugby and he will be tops in that code too.

Padraig Power from Blarney is already involved and he's a player to monitor closely as his club look certain to be challenging at the business end of their Senior A campaign.

This year's inter-county campaign is well and truly consigned to the memory bank and next season's seems so far away.

But for those hoping to wear the jersey this is where it starts in earnest, show that you might have something to offer that could get you into the reckoning.