Cusack to be replaced as Cork decide on new skipper

Dónal Óg Cusack is unlikely to captain the Cork senior hurlers in 2013, with a new skipper likely to be appointed in the next fortnight.

Goalkeeper Cusack was selected by manager Jimmy Barry-Murphy at the start of last year’s campaign, but did not play after injuring his Achilles tendon in the league semi-final against Tipperary in April.

With a return date for Cusack still to be confirmed, the Cork management team are set to pick a new captain prior to the first Waterford Crystal Cup game against UCC at the Mardyke on January 19.

“We haven’t finalised a panel or decided anything with the captaincy,” Cork selector Kieran Kingston said after Sunday’s 4-16 to 1-17 challenge win over Cork IT.

“It’s still early in the year, we’re not playing a league game for another two months.

“Nothing has been discussed, but we would expect to be picking a captain for the year before the Waterford Crystal.”

Sunday’s game at the CIT Sports Stadium was Cork’s first outing of the year. Wing-forward Séamus Harnedy impressed with six points while James O’Donovan at corner-back and midfielder Robert O’Shea also caught the eye.

Attackers Fintan O’Leary and Brian Corry, on the panel previously, have also been recalled and Kingston said that the management are trying to give opportunities to as many players as possible.

“We’re going to give everybody a fair chance,” he said. “We have another challenge against St Thomas’s of Galway next week and then UCC in the Waterford Crystal the week after that, so there will be opportunities for players.

“We were happy with it, a lot of guys showed up well, obviously at this time of year CIT would have a lot more hurling done than we would. Last Thursday night was the only hurling training that we had done really, so we’re still just easing back into it.

“CIT aren’t taking part in the Waterford Crystal so any of their Cork players will be available to us. It’s ideal for us to be playing the likes of UCC and CIT because we can be looking at players on both sides. Between injuries and sickness we were short a number of players for the CIT game, fellas who would otherwise have been involved, and then there are a few who are unavailable, the likes of Peter O’Brien, who is still involved with Kildorrery in the All-Ireland junior championship, and obviously there were a few like Lorcán [McLoughlin] who were playing with CIT.

“There are a lot of niggly injuries at this time of year but we are working off a big squad.”