Cork's talent pool is becoming impossible to ignore

Far from the most perfect start to a Munster championship campaign for Cork, but we certainly won’t complain after a win away to the All-Ireland champions in Thurles.

Tipperary will be very disappointed in their performance, especially in that second half where they lagged desperately behind Cork and couldn’t buy an opportunity. But enough about Tipp’s own shortcomings.

It was a day where, any doubts around Ben O’Connor’s selection choices were quickly put to bed.

The showings of Barry Walsh and William Buckley were something else, and they’re getting the credit they deserve. The pair each provided real moments of quality throughout the league campaign, but it certainly feels as though they saved their best for the big day.

Walsh – while initially slow to find his feet – starred when he got to grips with the game, and hit 0-4 from play. Buckley managed 0-5 and a free at the end to go with it. Some of the quality of their scores were fantastic, the contributions in buildup play elite. Two performances that far, far exceeded expectations for any debut.

And, following their unforgettable introductions to senior championship hurling, now comes a new problem for Ben O’Connor and his management team. Selection.

When Diarmuid Healy comes back to take his place in the starting team, who loses out? You certainly wouldn’t be pointing to one of Buckley and Walsh after the way they performed on Sunday.

But, who then?

Brian Hayes? Alan Connolly? Shane Barrett? Hardly. Even suggesting the possibility of dropping any one of those three is absurd. But so is keeping Healy out of the starting 15.

Put Darragh Fitzgibbon back into midfield? Move Tommy O’Connell or Tim O’Mahony into the half-back line? Drop Tommy O’Connell?

All while Séamus Harnedy, Paudie Power, Hugh O’Connor, Robbie O’Flynn and Alan Walsh are still on the bench, and both Declan Dalton and Shane Kingston are still to be considered. And what a fantastic problem to have.

It’s harder now to pick Cork’s best 15 than it was before last weekend, and I don’t think Ben O’Connor would want it any other way to start his first championship season in charge of the Rebels.

There is nothing guaranteed in this championship, of course. Cork could very easily go and lose to Limerick this weekend, they could even fall flat on their faces and be eliminated from Munster. But that doesn’t change how far the depth of this panel goes.

The overall strength of this Cork hurling team, and the number players that can’t find a way on to it increases with each passing year.

There is a level of talent there which guarantees that Cork will be a force for at least a solid number of years, and that’s a very healthy position to be in. A position which many other counties, who, despite winning All-Ireland titles more recently than Cork, are not in.

The Leesiders may not win the All-Ireland this season, but they will be close. They might not even win it next year, but they’ll be close again.

And at some point, no matter how large the drought becomes, no matter how much rival fans want to laugh about it, at some point Cork will get it over the line.

There’s simply too much quality in that squad for them not to, and they proved that in abundance on Sunday.