Mark Coleman: 'You'd want to' love the job of inter-county hurling

If there is a temptation to frame Cork’s latest turn as a new chapter, Mark Coleman is keen to resist it. Freshness, yes. Reinvention, no – at least not entirely – as Cork prepare for a return to National Hurling League action when they host Waterford this Sunday.

“I suppose a bit,” Coleman says when asked if it feels like a new chapter for Cork. “There's definitely freshness there, but once you go inside the white lines, it's the same panel of players more or less. So in that way, no, it's just a continuation of what we've been doing.

“But definitely there're going to be one or two tweaks, and those few new voices in terms of the backroom team, I suppose if you bring that bit of freshness up, it does feel a bit different.” 

Asked if being a Cork hurler is effectively a seven-day-a-week job, Coleman’s answer is immediate.

“Yep, more or less.” 

But his follow-up is telling, too.

“You'd want to [love it], yeah,” Coleman says. “If I didn't, I wouldn't be here, there's too much goes into it.

“But that's the main thing people say, ‘it's some commitment’, and it is, but when you're enjoying it, you're coming in here, going to the alley with a few of the lads, you are with your friends four or five nights a week. It's enjoyable.” 

The last number of weeks have grown more enjoyable, too. With the league about to get underway, the punishing sessions of pre-season are drawing to a close, and the focus now is on hurling, not running.

“There is more enjoyment anyway, that's the big thing,” he says. “You're not looking at the cones seeing what's lined up for you at the end of the session.

“It's nice to get back playing a few internal games and stuff like that, getting a feel for the games back again. Obviously there's still a bit of rustiness, as there will be for the first few league games, but it'll be nice to just get back playing games.” 

Coleman’s own role within that setup is likely to remain a central one. Recently appointed vice-captain by Ben O’Connor – he looks set to feature prominently again – though exactly where he will line out remains open this early in the year. He does, however, have a clear preference.

“For me, my favourite position is wing-back, for Cork anyway.

“It probably differs with the club because you have different roles and responsibilities. But for Cork anyway, I definitely prefer playing wing-back,” he says. “A lot of people would say I'd play midfield for the club and stuff like that but it's a completely different game, inter-county and club.

Now, I'm sure I'd be well able to play midfield as well but just in terms of what I enjoy most, it’d be wing-back.

“It could be just what I'm used to. When you do get thrown into midfield at inter-county, whether it's training or whatever, everything's happening around you. When you're playing wing-back, it's all to your left and right and out the field a bit.

“Whereas in midfield, you have to have that kind of 360 view,” Coleman outlines. “You have to be able to attack and defend at the same time.

“There's a lot more... It's just a different role and it's not like you can just get thrown in there and play well there all of a sudden. It's just a position that you need to have time to be able to play well.”