ELEVEN MINUTES IN to the action on Saturday night, Diarmuid Healy raced to collect a sideline ball off Cork team-mate Declan Dalton.
Healy’s attempted handpass offload to Tim O’Mahony failed to come off, but when David Blanchfield gathered and moved to push out of defence for Kilkenny, Healy and Ciarán Joyce successfully swallowed him up to turn over possession.
When the ball spilled loose towards Dalton, his pass set Healy away down the open central corridor of the Kilkenny rearguard.
The chance was on to score but Healy was slightly hesitant in executing his strike, Mikey Carey recovering to hook. In the ensuing scramble, the prospect of a Cork goal diminished and they had to settle for recycling the play for Shane Barrett to point.
Making his first senior start in Cork colours, the spell of play was reflective of Healy’s attitude from the start. Bright and involved, hungry to impact the play. If the end product was slightly off on that occasion, it was soon corrected.
By the close of the game, he had struck 1-5 from play, departed with the man-of-the-match award, and had played an integral role in shaping the winning outcome for Cork.
The previous Saturday, Healy had been nudged in off the bench against Tipperary, swinging over a point after being introduced in the 47th minute.
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When handed his first senior start, the Lisgoold youngster seized his opportunity to telling effect.
Diarmuid Healy scoring a first-half point for Cork. Bryan Keane / INPHO
Bryan Keane / INPHO / INPHO
“Everyone will ask you what you want to get out of the league and obviously what you are looking for is new players and looking for the new players to play well in training.” outlined Cork boss Pat Ryan aftewards.
“Diarmuid has been doing really well in training really and dealing with the physicality of it. He is in great shape, a really good athlete and his performance there tonight was excellent.
“Obviously, we know he can score but his work rate, his movement, his understanding of what we were asking him to do was excellent.”
Healy has long been earmarked for jumping up to the senior ranks. Scan his career rise and he has consistently ticked boxes of progression.
In August 2021, he fired four points from play as Cork cruised past Galway to land the All-Ireland minor title.
In July 2023, he struck 1-1 as Cork held off Offaly to claim All-Ireland U20 honours.
Cork were denied Munster glory at U20 level last year, Tipperary triumphing thanks to a wonder winning score by Darragh McCarthy, but Healy did clip over three points in the finale.
His underage performances were prominent and he has also thrived away from the inter-county scene. Last October he helped divisional outfit Imokilly land senior honours in Cork, and followed it up three weeks later with a man-of-the-match showing as his club Lisgoold, secured a county intermediate championship.
On Saturday night, his scoring input stood out. Healy was the game’s top scorer from play, only Patrick Horgan’s 0-10 haul bettered him. For comparison his individual tally of 1-5 stood favourably next to the 2-6 that Kilkenny’s collective starting attack registered from play.
The 20th minute goal kickstarted the scoring spree, capitalising on a ball that squirmed free from a bunch of players challenging in the air. The strike off his right was swift and clinical, as the ball fizzed past Eoin Murphy in goal.
Before half-time he added two further points, and raised a further three white flags after the break.
Three of Healy’s points during the game were founded on a similar style, bounding clear of the Kilkenny defence with his acceleration creating the room to sweep over his shot. His last score arrived in injury-time, a neat sidestep evading Paddy Deegan as he went to fire off his left, before shifting in to knock over a score with his right.
A Saturday evening league encounter in March applies a level of caution in gauging the standing of an emerging player, as Pat Ryan noted in an interview with TG4 afterwards.
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“He’s a very good young fella, we know that, but he’ll have ups and downs. He’s only working his way through his inter-county career. We always knew he was going to be a good player. He’s going to be around for a long while, so it’s not all on this year.”
Diarmuid Healy firing over a point in the first half for Cork. Bryan Keane / INPHO
Bryan Keane / INPHO / INPHO
As opening performances go though, Healy was terrific. Cork seek an additional layer to their attacking options this year. Padraig Power caught the eye on the opening night with 1-4 against Wexford, but his luckless run continued with the shoulder and cruciate injuries sustained against Limerick, wiping him out of the 2025 picture.
Healy is next to put up his hand. Cork head to Ennis next Sunday and welcome Galway on 22 March. After that it is four weeks until the heat of the Munster championship.
No bad time for a youngster to start to display some potential at senior level during the springtime auditions.
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'He is in great shape, a really good athlete' - a first Cork start yields 1-5 from play
ELEVEN MINUTES IN to the action on Saturday night, Diarmuid Healy raced to collect a sideline ball off Cork team-mate Declan Dalton.
Healy’s attempted handpass offload to Tim O’Mahony failed to come off, but when David Blanchfield gathered and moved to push out of defence for Kilkenny, Healy and Ciarán Joyce successfully swallowed him up to turn over possession.
When the ball spilled loose towards Dalton, his pass set Healy away down the open central corridor of the Kilkenny rearguard.
The chance was on to score but Healy was slightly hesitant in executing his strike, Mikey Carey recovering to hook. In the ensuing scramble, the prospect of a Cork goal diminished and they had to settle for recycling the play for Shane Barrett to point.
Making his first senior start in Cork colours, the spell of play was reflective of Healy’s attitude from the start. Bright and involved, hungry to impact the play. If the end product was slightly off on that occasion, it was soon corrected.
By the close of the game, he had struck 1-5 from play, departed with the man-of-the-match award, and had played an integral role in shaping the winning outcome for Cork.
The previous Saturday, Healy had been nudged in off the bench against Tipperary, swinging over a point after being introduced in the 47th minute.
When handed his first senior start, the Lisgoold youngster seized his opportunity to telling effect.
“Everyone will ask you what you want to get out of the league and obviously what you are looking for is new players and looking for the new players to play well in training.” outlined Cork boss Pat Ryan aftewards.
“Diarmuid has been doing really well in training really and dealing with the physicality of it. He is in great shape, a really good athlete and his performance there tonight was excellent.
“Obviously, we know he can score but his work rate, his movement, his understanding of what we were asking him to do was excellent.”
Healy has long been earmarked for jumping up to the senior ranks. Scan his career rise and he has consistently ticked boxes of progression.
In August 2021, he fired four points from play as Cork cruised past Galway to land the All-Ireland minor title.
In July 2023, he struck 1-1 as Cork held off Offaly to claim All-Ireland U20 honours.
Cork were denied Munster glory at U20 level last year, Tipperary triumphing thanks to a wonder winning score by Darragh McCarthy, but Healy did clip over three points in the finale.
His underage performances were prominent and he has also thrived away from the inter-county scene. Last October he helped divisional outfit Imokilly land senior honours in Cork, and followed it up three weeks later with a man-of-the-match showing as his club Lisgoold, secured a county intermediate championship.
On Saturday night, his scoring input stood out. Healy was the game’s top scorer from play, only Patrick Horgan’s 0-10 haul bettered him. For comparison his individual tally of 1-5 stood favourably next to the 2-6 that Kilkenny’s collective starting attack registered from play.
The 20th minute goal kickstarted the scoring spree, capitalising on a ball that squirmed free from a bunch of players challenging in the air. The strike off his right was swift and clinical, as the ball fizzed past Eoin Murphy in goal.
Before half-time he added two further points, and raised a further three white flags after the break.
Three of Healy’s points during the game were founded on a similar style, bounding clear of the Kilkenny defence with his acceleration creating the room to sweep over his shot. His last score arrived in injury-time, a neat sidestep evading Paddy Deegan as he went to fire off his left, before shifting in to knock over a score with his right.
A Saturday evening league encounter in March applies a level of caution in gauging the standing of an emerging player, as Pat Ryan noted in an interview with TG4 afterwards.
“He’s a very good young fella, we know that, but he’ll have ups and downs. He’s only working his way through his inter-county career. We always knew he was going to be a good player. He’s going to be around for a long while, so it’s not all on this year.”
As opening performances go though, Healy was terrific. Cork seek an additional layer to their attacking options this year. Padraig Power caught the eye on the opening night with 1-4 against Wexford, but his luckless run continued with the shoulder and cruciate injuries sustained against Limerick, wiping him out of the 2025 picture.
Healy is next to put up his hand. Cork head to Ennis next Sunday and welcome Galway on 22 March. After that it is four weeks until the heat of the Munster championship.
No bad time for a youngster to start to display some potential at senior level during the springtime auditions.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Cork Diarmuid Healy GAA Hurling