Cork v Limerick: Battling qualities shown will stand to those seeking to make an impact

In one sense, a league game played in incessant rain on St Brigid’s Day is not the ideal platform in which to be trying to lay down a marker; in another sense, it’s exactly the kind of occasion for that.

A consistent mantra of Cork manager Pat Ryan is honesty of effort and providing the requisite level of hard work to allow the hurling to take care of itself. At four points down against a seasoned outfit like Limerick with 12 minutes of normal time on the clock – nearly ten more would be added – it would have been easy to accept defeat as your lot, but Cork refused to do that.

Ryan highlighted that stubborn refusal to lose when speaking to media afterwards – he wasn’t worried even when Cork fell six points behind soon after half-time.

“I wasn't,” he said, “I have great faith in our fellas.

“Look, since we became involved, the lads have given us really, really good performances, really good effort in all the games we've done and we've been really consistent, even in games that we've lost or we've been behind.

We've come back into it and really, really driven on and trying to get back into the game. 

"And, look, I suppose those games that you're trying to win and those games that you're trying not to lose, and that was a game that we needed not to lose.”

As much as the Cork fans – and the management – would have liked to have seen what Diarmuid Healy could do against Limerick’s half-back line, it was a night where selection decisions were made with the result at the forefront and so properly new faces were at premium.

Even so, there were players who did not receive championship minutes last year who put up their hands, not least Newtownshandrum’s Cormac O’Brien in the half-back line. He wasn’t found wanting in the physical stakes against a tough outfit like Limerick and applied himself diligently to his defensive tasks; equally, Eoin Roche in the full-back line will be able to take a lot from the outing.

ROUGH LUCK

While he did feature briefly in the championship last year, Pádraig Power is to all intents and purposes a new player this year and he was lively during his time on the pitch but an early dislocated shoulder was rough luck for a player who has already had to contend with a few injuries.

When Conor Lehane suffered the same fate just moments after his introduction in the second half, Cork turned to Robbie Cotter and the Blackrock attacker was unfortunate that a late breaking ball didn’t fall more kindly for him but otherwise chances were at a premium in those closing stages.

With Cork’s ‘bye week’ coinciding with a natural two-week break in the schedule, there is now time to regroup before the Tipperary game on February 22 at FBD Semple Stadium – with the Fitzgibbon Cup completed by then, more new blood should be on show in Thurles.