Ben O'Connor taking his cue from Arsenal's hard work and winning ways

The Cork boss reiterated his credo that his side should be focused on winning every game. 

Cork manager Ben O'Connor during the Munster GAA Senior Hurling Championship Round 5 match between Cork and Clare at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh in Cork. Photo by John Sheridan/Sportsfile

A smile swept across Ben O’Connor’s face when asked about Cork's Munster final opponents and the prospect of once again measuring themselves against the team he has routinely labelled as hurling’s standard-bearers.

“Delighted,” he said of getting another crack at Limerick in a fortnight’s time.

“For the last 10 years, they’ve been the team to beat. It’s going to be a fierce battle here again in two weeks’ time.” 

His pleased reaction to Limerick entering the post-match conversation reduced to nonsense any narrative that Cork would be better served avoiding a fourth competitive meeting of the year with Limerick on June 7 and taking a different route to Dublin in July.

“Careers are short and when you finish your career you’re judged on what you’ve won. There’s no point in entering a competition if you have no interest in winning it,” Ben replied.

“The boys here, a lot of them only have a few medals, so they want to stash away a few more.

“I think I’ve five Munster medals myself. I respect what a Munster medal means to fellas around the place. Them lads are going to be same as I am, they just want to be winning games and playing on the big days.

“I made no secret that we wanted to win every game. We didn’t do it in the league but now in the championship so far, in the round robin, we’ve the four of them won.

“We treated today as a semi final. We’re where we want to be.” 

Outside of the Munster final ticket, the Cork manager was asked what else the four round-robin wins have put on the dressing-room table. There has to be byproducts and other tangibles to bettering the last three All-Ireland champions and a rejigged line-up surviving a Walsh Park assignment laced with risk.

“Winning gives you a bit of confidence. We have been winning games there, maybe not at our best, not being left play at our best at times, but we are still winning games and that is the main thing.” 

That last comment captures the theme of this round-robin for Cork. The panache in easing away from Clare sits in the shadow of the pragmatism that steered them through the three earlier victories.

“It can't be that every day,” replied the Cork boss when the fleetingness of flamboyancy in Cork’s Munster campaign was mentioned.

“Teams are going out to set up against you, the same as we go out to set up against other teams, so as I said two weeks ago, if we get enough points to win a game, I'm not bothered about the goals.

“It's nice to be getting goals, but still we got the one today and we'd two more chances that we maybe butchered. Once we're winning games, we won't worry about that.

“Everyone has good hurlers but it's just how hard they work, and we're working as a unit at the minute, so long may that continue.” 

William Buckley’s four white flags against the Banner brought the debutant’s round-robin total to 0-15. His Round 5 contribution also included a first half 1-1 that he assisted, as well as winning a converted free.

His boss had a very simple explanation for the Barrs youngster taking the starting opportunity in the convincing fashion he has.

“William is as good as what he is because he is marking two corner-backs at training every night that are down his neck, so that's what breeds competition in the squad.

“William knows that if he is going marking the two boys, these fellas could give me a going over tonight, so he is trying that extra little bit harder, and that's what we need in the squad.” 

The explanation was similarly straightforward for the collective work rate of the front six. Be it Barry Walsh picking up a loose Clare handpass just outside his own 20-metre line at the beginning of the second period or Alan Connolly winning a bag of frees, there is nobody not engaging in the unglamarous.

“If you have 10 or 11 fellas sitting outside who want to be in there where you are, you'll run too. It is a bit like watching Arsenal pressing high up the field, and we'll try and keep the pressure off the lads at the back.

“That is the way we are training, that is the way the lads are playing, and it is just pressure from the panel that the minimum required is hard work. Hurling will take care of itself, but once the boys are trying hard, that is the main thing we are judging a lot of fellas on.”