Cork's depth has helped to offset absences

From the beginning of this year’s Allianz Hurling League Division 1A campaign, Ben O’Connor and his new management team laid out their stall in terms of selection.

Each game brought a slew of changes in selection from the previous outing, but, apart from the defeat in Limerick, the players put out by Cork were capable of securing victory.

Naturally, as the league comes to a close and the championship comes into view on the horizon, the choices become more stable and the opening two Munster games – the win away to Tipperary, followed the home victory against Limerick a week later – marked the first time under O’Connor that Cork put out the same starting 15 for consecutive matches.

The Newtownshandrum man acknowledged at the time that the schedule made it difficult for the possibles to dislodge the probables.

“The main thing is from last week to this week there was no change on the panel,” he said, “because we didn’t do much during the week so there was no chance for any fella to get in or out of the panel this week.”

Even as he spoke those words, there was a likelihood that changes would be required in the Cork defence due to injuries sustained by Ciarán Joyce and Robert Downey against Limerick – those, coupled with the decision to rest Barry Walsh, meant three alterations for last Saturday week’s game in Waterford, with Damien Cahalane, Hugh O’Connor and Diarmuid Healy all coming in.

While everyone came through the Suirside trip, a subsequent case of appendicitis for captain Darragh Fitzgibbon and another hamstring issue for the luckless Robbie O’Flynn will mean more changes for Sunday’s last round-robin outing, at home to Clare.

Fitzgibbon was one of five players to have logged every minute in the championship so far and O’Flynn had appeared twice from the substitutes’ bench, including being the first played called upon at Azzurri Walsh Park.

Joyce is of course out for the season with a cruciate ligament injury and, while Downey’s is less serious, he is not likely to be back for Sunday and so the number of starters used in the round-robin will increase to at least 19 while the total of 24 players used to date could also rise.

Of that 24, 12 of them have scored: Alan Connolly leads the way on 1-24 and when dead balls are taken out, his 1-6 from play is just behind the 1-7 of Shane Barrett and 0-10 of Brian Hayes and William Buckley.

It’s a democratic breakdown in terms of dividing the scoring output – Walsh’s 0-4 in his debut against Tipp was also noteworthy – though the tally of three goals in as many games does feel slightly below par compared to what we know Cork can conjure.

Perhaps Sunday will signify a change in that regard.

Cork players’ Munster SHC minutes to date – 210: Patrick Collins, Niall O’Leary, Mark Coleman (1-0 penalty), Darragh Fitzgibbon 0-12 (0-3 f), Shane Barrett (1-7); 208: Tim O’Mahony (0-3, 0-2 f); 205: Seán O’Donoghue; 201: Alan Connolly (1-24, 0-18 f), Brian Hayes (0-10); 199: Tommy O’Connell (0-1); 195: Eoin Downey (0-1); 192: William Buckley (0-11, 0-1 f); 139: Robert Downey; 138: Barry Walsh (0-4); 135: Damien Cahalane; 88: Diarmuid Healy; 75: Ciarán Joyce; 53: Hugh O’Connor (0-2); 20: Robbie O’Flynn; 16: Alan Walsh (0-1); 15: Cormac O’Brien; 12: Séamus Harnedy (0-1); 6: Ger Millerick; 2: Pádraig Power.