John Horgan: It's fitting Ben O'Connor starts Cork stint where Canon O'Brien weaved hurling magic

Ben O'Connor takes charge of the Cork senior hurling squad in a match-day situation for the first time next Sunday in the annual Canon Michael O'Brien Cup encounter against UCC at the Mardyke.

In the long and very successful history of Cork hurling, there has been a lengthy list of very notable personnel who have held the position that O'Connor has now been elevated to.

We can go back to '60s and the days of the late and great Jim Barry, who was the controller in chief on the sidelines when Liam MacCarthy returned to Leeside for the first time in 12 years after the All-Ireland triumph of 1966. In those days, the term trainer was more frequently used for the man in charge.

Many have followed in that great man's footsteps, none more so than the man affectionately known as the 'Canon', the Innishannon native who presided over many of Cork's greatest triumphs at all levels of the intercounty game.

It was a similar story at club level where his guidance was responsible for so many clubs having their day in the sun.

His time on the Western Road in charge of the UCC hurlers in their hugely successful Fitzgibbon Cup exploits has survived the passage of time and will continue to do so.

I was one of those fortunate in my capacity as hurling correspondent with this newspaper to have accompanied him on so many of his successful journeys in a career that he devoted so much to the game that he loved.

Yes, there were times that he might not have been overly happy with some of the reporting but, at the same time, he understood the role of the person he was dealing with. Any difference of opinion was quickly forgotten.

HURLING ROYALTY

In fact, in my dealings with him, his passion, sheer love of the game and his honesty were just three of his many attributes.

One of his greatest strengths was his ability to motivate players whose heads might have dropped if things were not as they should be.

'A giant of Cork hurling', 'legend of Cork hurling', 'hurling royalty' were just a few of the many tributes that were paid to him in the aftermath of his passing in 2014.

His career on the sidelines in this county and far beyond was remarkable and the torch that he passed on to those who succeeded him provided them with many of the same qualities that he possessed.

Ben O'Connor has had that torch now passed on to him and the initial reaction to his appointment a few short months ago was that Cork hurling has the right person at the right time in place to carry on the great work of others.

In the leading hurling counties, particularly in the big three of Kilkenny, Tipperary and Cork, the spotlight on the man in charge is always far greater.

O'Connor takes charge in a period in Cork's history that has been difficult, the loss of four All-Ireland finals in more recent times and the county without a visit from Liam MacCarthy for 21 years.

But no matter what the past has brought, the cause will always endure on Leeside and there will be cautious optimism that the new managerial era will bring an end to a now lengthy famine since the glory day of 2004 and 2005.

PRIORITY

It's a hugely competitive environment now, much more so than it used to be and no manager and his selectors will look beyond their own province.

Be certain sure that will be the first and foremost priority for O'Connor will be getting into that first three in Munster. Liam Cahill, John Kiely, Brian Lohan and Peter Queally will wholeheartedly agree.

Ben O'Connor is a bit more fortunate this time in so far as he has a few pre-season games to work on in the efforts to find some new personnel that might have something to offer for the far more important assignments ahead in the national league and championship.

The expectation, beginning with the Canon O'Brien Cup, is that the emphasis will be very much on the experimental in those couple of pre-season games. For that reason, the Newtownshandrum man is probably happy that those games are back on the agenda again after the hiatus of last season.

There can be a certain amount of difficulty with the availability of players at this time of the year, Fitzgibbon Cup participation can impact as well as injuries carried over from the club season.

O'Connor, by all accounts, is working off a panel of around 40 or more and he will want to look at as many as possible, whether it's in the pre-season games or the third-level competition with the colleges that some of those players will be involved with.

The initial thinking is that the Cork starting 15 for the much bigger games won't change all that much since last season, despite that awful day in Croke Park last July.

But, at the same time, the new management will be fully aware of the need to freshen things up and there is no doubt that there is a very strong cohort of young players out there who must be very nearly ready to make their mark.

Quite a few of them have All-Ireland medals from their U20 days but there is an acceptance too that graduating to the higher level has often proved to be a bridge too far for some. The Canon O'Brien Cup game next Sunday at 12pm is attracting more attention than it might have in recent times.

That's inevitable when a new management team begins its journey and the old Mardyke venue has an appeal all of its own. The new Cork selectors will be keeping a close eye on both teams because quite a few on their radar will be lining out with UCC.

The outcome is of no consequence really, but what is important is how the chosen players will perform and how they might make an early impact.

Many will wonder on the style of hurling that O'Connor will favour and one thing that he will prioritise from all his players is a more aggressive and physical approach within the boundaries.

Physicality and being able to compete in those stakes at the top level will be sought.

Cork have been back on the training pitch for a few weeks now, played maybe a few A versus B games in that time and a very keen eye will have been kept on those proceedings.

Nobody loses the run of themselves with how pre-season games transpire and their greatest importance is finding out about players and what they can bring to the table.

It will be only a few days after Christmas in the Dyke and it's fitting that the venue the 'Canon' presided so many times in his hugely successful days with UCC is where Ben O'Connor now embarks on his own voyage of discovery.