McGrath: We’ll stick to plan

ALLIANZ HL DIVISION 1A: Galway v Cork

“We were always going to hit bumps along the way and last Saturday was one of them, It was disappointing the manner in which we lost but hopefully we’ll get a response against Galway. Clare got a bit of momentum in the second-half and they have some exciting hurlers. But there were positives to take from the game for us as well. We were six points up in the early stages of the second-half but we just hit a speed bump and lost our concentration.”

A defeat in Pearse Stadium tomorrow would see Cork travel to Kilkenny next weekend in the hope of avoiding a relegation play-off. McGrath insists management will stick to their plan of discovering as much as possible about their panel before the summer.

“The situation for us is that we’re still tinkering to get the right balance for the championship. We’re treating each game with respect and the intensity it deserves but the objective is to get a better idea of what team we will be starting come the summer.

“We always said that while Cork made progress last year it was moderate enough. We picked up no title and, okay, we might have got ourselves into an All-Ireland semi-final but there was a good bit of room for improvement.

“The vibes we’re getting from players has been fantastic. Their attitude has been excellent in training and everything is geared towards championship.”

McGrath doesn’t believe it’s now as simple as asking players to replicate the intensity they showed in their excellent opening day win against Tipperary.

“No two games are never the same so you can’t really make those comparisons for players. Obviously, you want lads going out and hooking, tackling, blocking, tracking back and taking their scores. Fellas’ form goes up and down as well so you don’t look at any two games and hope one will be like the other.”

If next week’s Nowlan Park trip is an onerous one, McGrath says the journey to Salthill isn’t far behind.

“Irrespective of how a team is going in the league, Pearse Stadium is always a hard place to go. It’s close to the sea and it can be blustery and difficult. They’ve slipped away the last two games, are in the same boat as us so it’ll be a right battle.”