Coleman: Cork will focus on positives, and 'not to get bogged down over 35 minutes of hurling'

Ben O'Connor is expected to implement evolution rather than evolution.

Sat, 27 Dec, 2025 - 08:00

John Fogarty

There’s a new broom at the helm but Mark Coleman doesn’t see much reason why Cork won’t continue with their expansive brand of hurling.

The Blarney man accepts the team have to be pragmatic at times but the sense in the camp is what worked before can work better with some refinement from Ben O’Connor and his management team.

“I suppose it was a brand of hurling that suited the way we wanted to play as well. We had the players to play that way and we had the forwards – we had three savage inside forwards last year and I think it’ll be the same this year as well.

“I guess there's something nice as well about playing a traditional brand of hurling, which everyone's always happy to see. It’s about getting the right balance. I think last year as well, there were times where we had to, use the ball a bit, and then times where you have to just drive it long.”

Since Coleman made a name for himself in his first full season in 2017, he’s noticed the game change largely in how he has had to push up on forwards attempting scores from distance and better use of possession.

“At the time, when I came in, in about ’17, ’18, it was still kind of a bit old-fashioned, in that there were still teams lumping ball in and you could predict where it was going to break and get on to it.

“Whereas now, you really have to be pushed up on your man. From my point of view, you have to expect him to get the ball fizzed into his hand from 30 or 40 yards. That’s probably one thing. The use of the ball is better, you have to be more clued-in and think through it a bit, it demands a bit more.”

The 28-year-old finds that while he may find himself in more advanced positions, there can be less opportunity to attack.

“It's harder to get on the ball now. You have to be that bit more physical in attacks, you have to win more 50-50s, maybe 60-40s than you used to, when you could get on a handy bit of ball. Now, you still get on the ball if you’re free, but you have to earn the ball a bit more.”

After what happened against Tipperary last July, Cork have more reason to get back to action and Coleman senses the urgency in the group.

“To be waiting seven, eight, nine months, it's a long time to be mulling over it so you’d just be looking forward to getting back at it.”

Not letting that second half against Tipperary sit on them will be key.

“There's a lot to be happy about from last year so that's the important thing, not to get bogged down over 35 minutes of hurling but, obviously, that’s the most important 35 minutes of hurling of the year.

“That’s all there is at the end of the day, just looking at the year as a whole, you’d obviously take learnings from the ending but not getting completely bogged down.”

Was it that they had it too easy against Dublin in their All-Ireland semi-final while Tipperary had a battle with Kilkenny?

“I don't know, I think it's easy to just say that after losing it,” says Coleman.

“I think, in the first half, we were six points up in the All-Ireland final so what do you say there then? You could look at it either way, but I don't think it had a major bearing.”

Starting at the end of January, Cork have a Division 1 title to defend. That first success since 1998 was one of the albatrosses they removed from their necks in 2025.

Coleman didn’t feel they put any more emphasis on the league than previous years. They simply had the tools to win. “I think, down through the years, it hasn't really been a thing because we didn't really have the strength of the panel, really.

“When you have younger fellas coming through and you have a strong, maybe, 35 players, it doesn’t matter who you put out, it’s going to be a strong team.

“Last year, it wasn’t like we were saying, ‘Jeez, we’re going out to win the league,’ I just think that it happened naturally with the strength of the players that we were able to put out every day.

“This year, I don’t think we’re going to sit down and say, ‘We’re not attacking the league’ but I’d imagine, no matter who we put out, it’s going to be a strong enough team with younger fellas getting opportunities. We’ll go out to win every game.”

Without Patrick Horgan, it will be unusual at least initially but Coleman isn’t worried about a leadership deficit.

“I think we'd always be driving it on anyway, but it just gives someone else an opportunity, really, to kind of try and fill those boots – step in as a free-taker, step into the full-forward line. In terms of leadership, I think everybody was showing that anyway.”