THE calls and texts weren’t long arriving last Friday. “Your buddy O’Gara this morning — ” (I always like that description of anyone who ever wrote for a paper anywhere, in any era: ‘your buddy’) “— what is he at?”

Cork play Kilkenny this evening in a senior hurling challenge in Páirc Uí Rinn (7pm), but the dominant narrative isn’t Cork’s preparations for the league final, or Brian Cody’s integration of new faces into the Cats’ set-up.

Ger Cunningham has opted to step down as a Cork selector as he continues to be linked with the vacant manager’s job in Limerick.

With four players — Conor O’Sullivan, Daniel Kearney, Cian McCarthy and Michael Cussen — likely to be in Sunday’s matchday panel, Sarsfields boast the strongest representation in the Cork senior hurling squad.

HE may have five Seandun junior hurling medals in his pocket but divisional glory no longer sates Dan Lucey’s appetite for success.

FOR a telling barometer when it comes to the temperature in Cork over the last week, move beyond the obvious.

Donal O'Grady has ruled himself out of the running to become the next manager of the Cork senior hurling team.

Gerald McCarthy has resigned as the manager of the Cork senior hurling team tonight.

We have decided to call this press conference to try and make our position clear for people, given that we have now been left behind by the Cork Senior Hurling management with the full backing of the Executive of the Cork County G.A.A. Board.

The striking Cork hurlers tonight said that they would only continue their stance as long as they held the support of the Cork people, and if they did not have that then they would disband.

Cork's striking hurlers today indicated that a press conference would be held in the coming days in order to respond in detail to Tuesday night's hard-hitting statement by county hurling manager Gerald McCarthy.

The Cork senior hurling squad have said they will not play under Gerald McCarthy, making strike action in the Rebel county a distinct possibility for the second time in a year.

The stand-off between the Cork senior hurling and football teams and the Cork County Board has caused the hurlers' opening game of 2008 to be re-fixed from this Sunday to next Thursday.

Brian Corcoran has announced his retirement from the Cork senior hurling squad.

Jerry Wallace has stepped down as the Cork senior hurling team's trainer, just three days after manager John Allen announced his decision to quit.

There are four newcomers on the Cork senior hurling squad for the Munster championship opener with Clare on May 28.

CORK hurlers last night refused to answer questions posed by RTÉ as the row between the broadcaster and the Gaelic Players Association over product placement escalated.

ON Monday last, a report in the Irish Examiner suggested that, in relation to difficulties between the Cork Senior Hurling panel and the press, it was “accepted” that a policy of non-co-operation was partly driven by manager, Donal O’Grady.

ALL-Ireland winning Kilkenny manager Brian Cody was yesterday named Philips Manager of the Year at a function in the Berkeley Court in Dublin.

THERE was a time when they were as close as peas in a pod. That brilliant St Finbarr’s side of the late 70s/early 80s, Donal O’Grady was the tough, hard-jawed full-back, John Allen the tall, bearded, commanding figure outside him, in the centre of the half-line. Before that decade was out, however, the partnership had broken up, their paths drifted apart.

BERTIE ÓG MURPHY has resigned as coach of the Cork senior hurlers after one season in the position.