Cork Hurling: Value of experience shown in gutsy win over Galway in Salthill

It was perhaps a telling statistic, in a few senses, that Cork’s starting 15 for Saturday night’s clash at Pearse Stadium did not feature any players that were new to the panel.

In the opening-round win over Waterford at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh six days earlier, William Buckley had been given his bow from the start and impressed with a haul of 1-4 while Alan Walsh and Hugh O’Connor had come off the bench to take their first steps in what we might term ‘proper’ inter-county action.

Where the clash with an under-strength Déise had been the ideal throat-opener, a trip to Salthill to face a Galway side looking to get points on the board was a definite step up.

Buckley and Walsh were rested after busy periods where they had to combine Fitzgibbon Cup commitments with trying to break into the Cork set-up – Buckley had played last Thursday week in UCC’s win over Garda College, then the Cork-Waterford match and in Wednesday’s quarter-final loss to UL. 

While it was disappointing that neither UCC nor MTU Cork, for whom Walsh had shone, made the semi-finals of the third-level competition, it does at least make planning and preparation somewhat easier now for Cork.

O’Connor was again kept in reserve and, of the 20 players used, late sub Brian Keating of Ballincollig was the only player who was making his league debut.

Goalkeeper Paudie O’Sullivan (Fr O’Neill’s) and defender Darragh O’Sullivan (Ballinhassig) are also in line for some maiden league action this year but the fact that there have not been wholesale changes to the squad illustrates that a squad reaching two All-Ireland finals and winning two trophies was always in line for tweaking rather than drastic restructuring.

It also means that there is a vast array of experience and so, despite four changes from the Waterford match, the team still had 10 starters from the All-Ireland. Having stated he wants to win every match, Ben O’Connor knows that the newer prospects have to be given a fair chance when surrounded by those who have already built up a bank of inter-county knowledge.

Of course, two starters – Dáire O’Leary at full-back and Brian O’Sullivan in midfield – are on the panel this year having not been involved in 2025 but both the Watergrasshill defender and Kanturk centrefielder had previously played in the league.

O’Leary built on his Waterford showing – the Galway starting full-forward line did not score in the first half – while O’Sullivan finished the first half well, scoring and setting up a point, after a difficult opening in which everybody struggled.

Tim O’Mahony was introduced at half-time instead of O’Sullivan and the Newtownshandrum man brought his influence to bear. 

It illustrated the value of experience but it is something that can only be built up over time and O’Sullivan is likely to see more game-time over the coming matches.

With All-Ireland champions Tipperary up next, the size of the challenge increases once more, providing another ideal test-bed for the management.