Huge Cork crowd turn up to see the Ben O'Connor era as senior manager begin with a loss to UCC

The Cork public’s hunger for hurling was evident on Sunday morning as every vantage point was taken to get a first glimpse at an experimental Rebel team in Canon O’Brien Cup action against UCC.

Every inch of railing was occupied on all four sides of the Mardyke pitch before the midday throw-in. 

In places, people queued three or four deep, craning their necks to see the action. 

Another stream of spectators lined up along the ramp onto the Shakey Bridge. 

A handful more perched on the ledge of the Ferry Walk wall.

Crowds of kids congregated behind either goal in a contest to snag loose sliotars. 

Several more perched around the dugout for a close-up view of the beginning of Ben O’Connor’s reign.

With Eoin Downey, who togged for UCC, the only All-Ireland final starter to begin here, motivation was high on both sides. 

For Cork players, it’s all about surviving January’s squad cut and securing more opportunities to impress in the Munster Hurling League. 

For the Students, manager Ray Delaney acknowledged that some were gunning to prove they belonged in the other dressing room.

O’Connor will be content that, despite the one-point defeat, many of the Skull and Crossbones’ best performers could yet contribute to his squad this year. 

With other counties’ players largely made unavailable, 13 of the College’s 15 starters were Leeside natives.

Ben Cunningham produced a display of precise free-taking to compile a 1-10 haul from 11 shots. 

Placed balls accounted for 1-9, two of which he won himself. His other point was the score of the day as he turned over possession from a puck-out, fended off one defender, flicked the sliotar over another’s head, and pointed off the hurley, despite still being allowed to handle the sliotar a second time if he wished to do so.

With free-taking duties up for grabs, Cunningham’s contribution can’t have done his chances any harm.

The half-forward’s undiluted exchanges with St Finbarr’s clubmate Ethan Twomey provided an entertaining sideshow. 

Cunningham briefly switched to a red helmet after one tussle, while Twomey ended up on the turf after his first-half point. 

It underlined the robustness of the exchanges, with Eoin Roche and Cillian Tobin needing to replace their hurleys during this well-fought contest.

Ballinora full-back Shane Kingston put in the best performance among the backmen, winning some one-on-one duels and drawing a late free, from which UCC countered to strike the winning point through William Buckley.

Both UCC goalkeepers excelled in their 30-minute shifts. Paudie O’Sullivan and Limerick panellist Fionn O’Brien each produced two excellent saves to thwart Rebel forwards.

Finn O’Brien kept the scoreboard ticking over with three first-half points, including an exceptional effort before half-time. 

He would’ve had a penalty too, when fouled by Daire O’Leary, only to play on and assist Peter O’Shea’s goal. 

O’Brien departed late after colliding with a teammate.

Robert Troy also carried the fight to Cork from the outset, striking two points and creating a couple more.

For Cork, Cian Darcy had the most productive outing while leaving a few scores behind. The Sarsfields speedster had two shots for goals, scoring one and seeing another saved by O’Sullivan. 

He also laid on first-half goal chances for Jack O’Connor and Seán Desmond, both of which were saved by O’Brien.

Darcy also converted one point from four further efforts, assisted four more for his teammates, and was fouled for a pointed free.

O’Connor’s side gained traction through a couple of long puck-outs down the middle. 

Three of those ran through for Darcy to collect for a return of 1-1. Bríon Saunderson and O’Sullivan showed some smart distribution with mid-range passes to create scores at the other end.

Darcy’s endeavours were particularly notable for an inter-county newcomer. 

Many other top performers were building upon prior senior experience. Late additions to the starting team, Cormac O’Brien and O’Leary, were assured in possession, although the latter will rue the goals conceded. 

That said, he was particularly unlucky to be called for overcarrying for the first when he should’ve had a free out.

Up front, Jack Cahalane was the most effective shooter with four points from six attempts. The recalled duo of Brian O’Sullivan and Desmond each contributed two points.

While UCC had five scorers, Cork’s spread was laudable. Leaving aside the goalkeeper and full-back line, 11 of the 13 players to feature further out the field raised a flag.

With second-half substitutes Declan Dalton and Shane Kingston showing their impact for the wonderfully worked final goal, it shows how high the bar is set to make an imprint on this Cork panel.

UCC have now won four of the past eight Canon O’Brien Cups, with the last three claimed by one-point margins. 

With 16 of their Fitzgibbon panel unavailable on Sunday, there’ll be plenty of competition to start against MTU Cork on Thursday week.