Cork v Galway: League clash gave Ben O'Connor an early insight into Tribesmen's approach

Forewarned is forearmed for Cork as they face Galway in Saturday's All-Ireland hurling semi-final – to some degree, anyway.

The Tribesmen were the best side in the Leinster championship by a distance, profiting from a style of play that has seen Jason Rabbitte operate a target-man role close to goal while Cathal Mannion has excelled as a quasi-quarterback.

It’s something Cork witnessed when they beat Galway in their second Allianz HL Division 1A game at Pearse Stadium at the end of January and manager Ben O’Connor is well aware of the size of the challenge.

“I suppose we got to see that very early in the year, when we went up to play them up in Salthill,” he says.

“Now, we were lucky enough to win on the night, but they had a lot of wides the same night, especially in the first half.

“I think we only went in two or three points down at half-time, after Galway had done all the hurling.

“So I suppose it took us a while to get used to the way they played, but they do have a different kind of style compared to everyone else.

He's just working with what they have – they've a few big, strong fellas fired in here and there and they're very pacey.

“They've a lot of new fellas that they've brought through, and they're playing, and I suppose they're getting the benefits of it now. Younger fellas coming in, they've no fear of anything, they're having a right cut.”

Micheál Donoghue’s side come into the game after a four-week break since the 14-point victory over Dublin at Croke Park.

“They’ll have known after the Leinster final that they had the four weeks to work with,” O’Connor says.

“Like us after the Munster final, they’ll probably have taken a week, or the bones of a week, off to recharge batteries.

“Then, since two weeks ago, they’ll have known that it was us they'd be playing and so they’ve had a bit of time to do a bit of work on us.

“Look, we're happy enough where we are. We've had the two-week break since the last game and I think that our lads seem to like that as well.

“You do a small little bit in between, but it's not too much. All the work was done earlier in the year physically, so now it's only about touching up the hurling.”

Mixed bag

Galway games were a mix of the great and the forgettable during the Newtownshandrum man’s playing career: there was the 1-7 in the 2005 All-Ireland final win and then, three years later, the qualifier win in Thurles that he still ranks as his most special memory in a red jersey.

Another qualifier clash at Semple Stadium, in 2002, precipitated the first strike, while his last championship act as a Cork hurler came in a heavy loss to Galway at the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick.

He expects a positive clash but ultimately the scoreboard will be the only factor that matters.

“That was the last one in 2011, below in Limerick, we got a hiding off them, so I've been on both sides of it,” he says.

“That 2008 game was one of the most memorable out of all my time playing. It was an All-Ireland qualifier, not even a semi-final or a quarter-final, but that’ll tell you.

Down through the years, Cork and Galway have always had good hurling games and, most of the time, high-scoring then as well.

“Whatever the scoring-rate is on Saturday, hopefully we’ll have one point more than them and that’s the most important thing.”