Cork's fast start and unselfish play delight Ben O'Connor

The Cork hurlers scored 10 points from 10 shots for a nine-point lead inside 12 minutes against Waterford at Páirc Uí Chaoimh

Ben O'Connor is glad to have his first league match as Cork hurling manager over and done. Pic: ©INPHO/Tom Maher

Glad of the win. Almost more glad to have the game out of the way. No more ‘first of this’ and ‘first of that’ chat. The tape has officially been cut on the era of Ben. And there’s no one happier than the new boss himself to see the scissors put away.

“There was a lot of stuff going on all week that wasn't in our control, they were talking about 'how are they going to play', 'who are they going to pick', or 'what's going to happen here'. But look, we've done very little with the lads. They're good hurlers, they know what they are at, so just let them in and let them at it. Just happy to have it out of the way, if I'm being honest,” remarked the Cork manager.