Returning faces a huge boost to Cork footballers' 2023 charge 

IMPRESSIVE: Brian O'Driscoll of Cork during the McGrath Cup Group A match between Cork and Kerry. Pic: Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile

There were two standout features to the Cork team fielded by John Cleary for the county’s 2023 opener.

The first was the championship look to the starting lineup. Ten of the 15 present inside the whitewash for Wednesday’s throw–in had also begun last year’s All-Ireland quarter-final defeat to Dublin.

To put out a team on January 4 that won’t be a whole lot different to what begins their championship opener three months down the line on April 9 is unusual. It is, however, equally understandable.

Cork commence their Division 2 league campaign in three weeks. Meath, Kildare, and Dublin are their first three opponents. In their first three League games last year, Cork managed a solitary point. It was a campaign that finished with the county one place above the Division 2 drop zone.

Given the new championship structure and the fact that seven of the 16 top-tier spots are tied to end of League placings, Cork can afford neither a one-point return from their Leinster examination or a sixth-place finish.

It is in this light why Cleary opted to play such a strong hand for the visit of understrength Kerry. Put simply, Cork need to hit stride a lot earlier than the counties above them on the ladder.

Failure to do so will heap pressure on Cleary’s charges to reach the provincial decider - Clare and Limerick must be navigated to achieve such - so as to guarantee Sam Maguire fare in May and June.

The other standout feature to the team that whacked the All-Ireland champions 5-11 to 0-14 were the returning faces.

Full-back Daniel O’Mahony, who left the Cork panel early last season, was playing his first game for the county since the 2021 Munster semi-final win over Limerick.

Second half substitute Ruairí Deane, who was not part of Keith Ricken’s set-up last year, was playing his first game since the 2021 Munster final defeat to Kerry. Another sub Killian O’Hanlon hadn’t been seen in red since the 2020 Munster final loss to Tipperary because of a whole host of injury setbacks.

But bridging the biggest gap of all to their last Cork appearance was Brian O’Driscoll. Prior to Wednesday’s McGrath Cup opener, O’Driscoll was last part of a Cork team sheet for the 2018 qualifier hammering by Tyrone all of four and a half years ago.

When Ricken replaced Ronan McCarthy ahead of the 2022 season - the latter had let O’Driscoll go from the panel ahead of the 2019 campaign - the Tadhg MacCarthaigh clubman was hopeful of a recall. It didn’t materialise, though.

“It was disappointing. But you can’t dwell on these things. Your sporting life is short, so you had to switch your focus back to the club and division,” said O’Driscoll following his 1-2 contribution at Páirc Uí Rinn.

“We had a middling year with the club and division in 2022, it went better than it had for the last couple of years. That probably put me in the shop window to put my hand up and come back in here again.” Cleary was willing to extend an invite, one that the 28-year-old has already started and is determined to keep repaying.

But did he ever think his Cork career wouldn’t be restarted and that the 16-point clipping by Tyrone represented his final day in red?

“I was always hoping and working towards getting back in, but without getting the opportunity from the lads, I wouldn’t be here. All thanks to them.

“A lot of water has gone under the bridge since the Tyrone game in Portlaoise. It’s great to get back into the red jersey. Let’s just work away as hard as we can, personally and collectively, and see where the year will take us.” And while Kerry were understrength, a 12-point win over the neighbours is far from the worst way to begin his second coming with Cork.

“We are probably a couple of weeks ahead of other teams that might have been on holidays or whatever. We are just looking to get ourselves injury-free at the end of the month, play the first league game, hopefully get a result, and drive on from there.”