Cork Hurling Talking Points: William Buckley brings explosiveness Cork have lacked

A third straight league win for Cork under Ben O'Connor, and the Rebels are now already best positioned to reach the final for a second successive season.

There was real edge to this Cork-Tipperary encounter, most conspicuously in the scuffle that festered far too long at the end of the first half.

Referee Liam Gordon eventually restored order by flashing yellow and red cards to both sides, Shane Barrett and Jason Forde the unfortunate recipients of their marching orders.

But beyond the flashpoints, this February 7 meeting drew 30,910 to SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh, a crowd that came to witness a Cork victory which, given the way the previous meeting between these counties ended, felt almost preordained.

BITE

Still, the atmosphere was something exceptional for a game this early in the campaign.

'Rebels!' chants echoed around the ground while Darragh McCarthy endured a hostile reception; booed not only upon entering the field but each time he stood over a free, going through the familiar and lengthy rituals of his placed-ball routine.

No love lost there, that’s for sure.

To his credit, McCarthy remained utterly unfazed, converting both his attempts.

It remains very early in the season, and precious little from these opening three league games can be treated as definitive evidence of what lies ahead in 2026.

Still, three matches in, Cork fans will already be forming opinions about potential changes to the starting 15 and which positions certain players might ultimately settle in.

SLICKNESS 

We already know Diarmuid Healy is virtually certain to start at half-forward barring injury, but watching him operate alongside William Buckley has added a freshness and dimension that Cork have previously lacked.

Perhaps it's the explosiveness Buckley brings, or the confidence with which he takes on opponents – his contribution in winning the penalty being the standout example – but together they kept Tipperary's defenders under sustained pressure throughout.

Beyond those two dynamic young forwards, Cork have displayed genuine slickness for the third consecutive week.

One passage of play particularly caught my eye. Mark Coleman forced an interception on a sloppy pass to Conor Stakelum, before carrying it forward. Eventually, he was crowded out and offloaded to Shane Barrett, who then, found himself surrounded by blue and gold jerseys.

Barrett might have been in difficulty, except Eoin Downey had drifted into Coleman's vacated position and stood completely unmarked to receive the handpass. He fired over beautifully from distance.

Naturally – it's February – so no inter-county team in the country will be producing their finest work at this juncture. Yet, Cork have been remarkably sharp, even at this early stage.

Whether Saturday's opposition being Tipperary added extra incision to their game is up for debate, but Cork's shooting efficiency, short passing and tackling have all been on the money.

Mistakes have been minimal across all three games.

Such early-season form ultimately counts for nothing, of course, but it's promising nonetheless and bodes well for the months ahead.

GOAL RUN COMES TO AN END 

Cork's run of scoring at least one goal per game had stretched to 18 consecutive competitive fixtures until Saturday night’s win over Tipp. The last time they had previously drawn a blank was in the 2024 All-Ireland quarter-final against Dublin.

Indeed, of the last 16 games those that spanned 2025 and the first two of 2026, there were only six occasions when Cork failed to raise multiple green flags: the All-Ireland final, the Munster final, the championship meeting with Limerick in Munster, and league fixtures against Kilkenny, Tipperary and Limerick.

They've won just two of those six, the league encounter with Kilkenny and the Munster final against Limerick.