Christy O’Connor: The best hurling forwards now assist as much as score

The modern culture of performance analysis means assists are being monitored across a whole different set of metrics, argues Christy O’Connor

Because of his low-scoring return, the general perception was that Shane O’Donnell had a poor championship, but the overall numbers show otherwise. Picture: Daire Brennan/Sportsfile

The great Cork team of the 2000s was packed with brilliant players, high-profile characters and revolutionary minds, on and off the pitch, but Timmy McCarthy was often portrayed as an outlier.

McCarthy was a crucial component of that system but, while that group painted a glorious picture of ambition and achievement, McCarthy’s career was a stunning portrait of endurance and stoicism.