Ben O'Connor grateful for the strength of Cork hurling management support structure

While Ben O’Connor was taking over a Cork team that was reigning league and Munster champions as well as having played in the last two All-Ireland finals, there was no guarantee that the good results would continue.

The Newtownshandrum man’s start to life as manager has gone well, though, with five wins from six in the league bringing the Rebels to Sunday’s decider against Limerick at TUS Gaelic Grounds.

A year ago, the narrative was around Cork needing to end a 27-year wait for the league – going in as the holders this year, what would another victory do?

“It justifies all the time you're putting in,” O’Connor says.

“A lot of fellas finish their careers and they had great times but no medals. Medals are what it's all about. It's proof that you were the best on the day in that competition.

“It's just a confidence-booster to every fella then as well. I have no league medal and I'd love to have one. It's nice for fellas when they finish up that they're able to see a bunch of medals inside in the press.

“If you go back over the league in the last 20 years, there haven't been too many counties that have won it. It's an honour and it's the second-biggest competition in our game.

“We set out at the start of the year to get to the final and win it. That will tell you how important it is to us.”

When O’Connor refers to the collective, it’s not for show, either. While he is the figurehead, he is well aware of the strength of the support structure.

“You have to know who you're getting in,” he says.

“We have a great bunch, everyone gets on and my main job is to try and make sure that everyone's happy. You're not going to keep everyone happy but if there's a problem, deal with it, get it sorted, move on.

“Thankfully we don't have too many problems. John [Coleman, logistics] is worth his weight in gold. The amount of stuff that he goes through there and you don't even know that he's doing it, he'll come back to you and the job is done.

“Paul O'Sullivan, the nutritionist, he's on to all the fellas morning, noon and night. They have nothing to do for themselves because it's all done. Ian Jones, Cathal [O’Brien], Conor Clancy [who deal with strength and conditioning], all the backroom doing the video things, they just do their jobs.

“They're given a job and you don't have to worry about them again because you'll know it's going to be done. If you give any of them a job to do, you don't have to be asking if it's done or when it's going to be sorted. They'll be back to you straight away and it's done.

“That's the main thing about this gig and we're only all playing a small part. The players are obviously the big thing in it. All of us have a small part to play.

“Everything we do has to be about the players because without the players, we're no good to anyone. We're trying to keep the players out of that kind of stuff so that they have nothing to do except turn up and perform.

“We're lucky enough that the group is top-class.”