The project is ongoing but the production line in Cork is certainly rolling again 

Cork's Ciaran Joyce in action against Aaron Fitzgerald of Clare during last month's Allianz Hurling League Division 1 Group A match at Páirc Ui Chaoimh in Cork. 

In Cork’s opening league game against Clare in February, the biggest cheer of the night from the home supporters came early in the second half. Ciarán Joyce’s excellent point from near the sideline after a penetrative run almost lifted the roof off the North Stand in Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

The whole of Cork had been aware of Joyce’s talents and impending arrival as a senior player, but he accelerated that anticipation and expectation that evening with an outstanding display on his senior debut.

As well as scoring three points, Joyce was fouled for a free, had two direct scoring assists and was heavily involved in Rob Downey’s point. 

With Joyce having a Freshers game with MTU Cork ten days later, he didn’t feature against Offaly, but he returned for Round 3 and fired an even bigger flare into the sky against Limerick.

Joyce was the best player on the pitch that day. When the All-Ireland champions staged a comeback of sorts in the second-half, Joyce’s performance was so commanding and authorative that it was more reflective of a hardened and seasoned campaigner than a rookie still under 20.

Already, Joyce looks ready and primed to start in the championship. Age has never been a hindrance for him. Joyce played centre-back with the Cork U20s in their successful Munster campaign in 2020 when he was still U18. 

“We had fellas who had played in All-Ireland minor and U20 finals and they still looked up to Ciarán,” says Pat Ryan, who managed Cork to successive All-Ireland U20 titles. “That leadership didn’t come from Ciarán talking – it was from how he played and how he carried himself. He was always driving it on.” 

Despite Cork winning successive U20 titles, the potential to transplant a raft of those young players straight into the team like Cork routinely did in the past is no longer viable, especially with the S&C ladder, and with so many of those players still on the bottom rungs. Yet the material for continuous transitional improvement clearly exists now and Kieran Kingston and his management have already begun that integrational process.

Seventeen All-Ireland U20 winners are on the current extended squad. Along with Joyce, Daire O’Leary, Cormac O’Brien, Padraig Power, Tommy O’Connell, Sam Quirke, Colin O’Brien and Brian Roche have also featured in this league for the first time. Alan Connolly and Shane Barrett played championship last year. Barrett and Daire Connery played championship in 2020. Seán Twomey was on the squad of 26 for last year’s All-Ireland final. Eoin Davis, Darragh Flynn, Eoin Roche, Eoin Downey and Ethan Twomey are also part of the panel now. Downey played with CBC in this year’s Harty Cup, but he has been training with the panel in recent weeks.

“What’s great about the new lads is that I always found them very robust,” says Ryan. “They’ve a lot of S&C training and gym work done. They know what it takes to be a senior inter-county hurler. It’s still a huge step up but being fit and strong and ready to train regularly makes a huge difference when you’re trying to reach that level required at senior level.” 

It’s been less of a culture shock with a significant chunk of those new players having been part of a development squad last year overseen by Diarmuid O’Sullivan. Outside of their commitments with the U-20s, they also had exposure to more S&C education and assistance along with access to Cathal Sheridan, Cork’s performance psychologist in 2021.

Kingston had also established a development squad during his first term in charge between 2016-’17, which hot-housed Shane Kingston, Darragh Fitzgibbon and Mark Coleman while they were doing their Leaving Cert in 2016, but who still made their championship debuts in 2016 and 2017.

At the outset of this league, it looked like Barrett and Joyce would be the only two players from those U20 teams ready to start in this year’s championship, but Daire O’Leary has certainly put his hand up this spring.

In his first start against Limerick last month, O’Leary coped really well on Seamus Flanagan in the first half before holding his own at centre-back after the break. He limited Conor Whelan to just one point from play against Galway. Last Sunday against Wexford, O’Leary was one of Cork’s best players in an underwhelming team performance.

O’Leary was on the squad last year, but he was still only 19 and he found it difficult to adjust to the increased training load. Consistent injury disrupted his summer and he missed the 2021 All-Ireland U-20 final win against Galway with a hamstring injury. Yet, similar to Joyce at number six, O’Leary has been flagged for a while as Cork’s long-term full-back in waiting.

Cork clearly needed something different after last year’s All-Ireland final and management haven’t been totally transfixed on the younger brigade either. Conor Lehane was brought back after a brilliant club championship with Midleton and has been impressive in all his showings. Moreover, Lehane’s workrate and tackle-count has really improved this season.

After winning a Munster club junior title with Ballygiblin in early January, Mark Keane decided not to return to Australia for pre-season training with Collingwood the following week. Despite having five first-team appearances under his belt, and another year to run on his contract, Keane opted to stay at home instead and try and hurl for Cork.

It was always going to be difficult for Keane when he didn’t play hurling for three years between the crucial developmental ages of 18-21, but he still has something Cork have lacked for too long – a ball-winning presence up front.

On his league debut against Offaly, Keane forced the save which led to Lehane’s goal while he could have had a goal himself when his effort in the second half flashed over the bar. Keane won some great possession at wing-forward in the second half, but he struggled against Limerick two weeks later when only having two possessions at wing-forward.

Using Keane as a target-man full-forward is not Cork’s game, so the best-case scenario for him is a specific ball-winning target at wing-forward for a certain match-up, or else as an impact player at full-forward in the last 15 minutes.

That will still take some tactical adjustments and coaching, but it’s also an endorsement of management that they’re prepared to take a chance on a physically strong rookie who hasn’t played in years, despite having so much young talent available. This project is still ongoing but the production line in Cork is certainly rolling again.