BEFORE CORK’S HURLERS opened their league account against Waterford, the expectation was that new boss Ben O’Connor would only make tweaks.
A position here, a player there. Minuscule changes would do.
Naturally so, given that Cork had reached the previous two All-Ireland finals. And, when that question was put to O’Connor before the season started – if the script would be torn up – the answer was what had been anticipated.
“No. Why would I?” O’Connor responded. “All the tools are there.”
There were six fresh call ups and three past players added to the 2026 Cork panel that he announced prior to the league. Numbers far too small to constitute any script shredding.
But, O’Connor’s championship teams have differed. Significantly.
He’s made tweaks that have raised a few eyebrows, ruffled some feathers and crumpled several script pages.
So far, after three Munster championship matches, there have been championship bows for Alan Walsh, Hugh O’Connor, Barry Walsh and William Buckley. Four forwards, three of which have made starts, and two who have been named to do so again in this Sunday’s XV.
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William Buckley. James Lawlor / INPHO
James Lawlor / INPHO / INPHO
That injection of youth up front has been something that Cork have profited from. The debutants have combined for a total of 0-17 from play across a combined 421 minutes, which works out as a shared contribution just short of three points per game. Buckley and Walsh were immense on debut and caught everyone’s attention after their defeat of Tipperary.
But the displacement of the forwards that were there previously has garnered attention.
Patrick Horgan retired at the end of last season, but Jack O’Connor and Conor Lehane – used substitutes in the 2024 and 2025 finals respectively – were both omitted from Ben O’Connor’s league panel ahead of the 2026 season.
This weekend, Declan Dalton makes his first matchday 26 of the Munster championship campaign, having not made a start since February. Dalton was a starter in the previous two All-Ireland finals, though was the first Cork player to be pulled off in both.
Shane Kingston is yet to play a championship minute this season, despite his heroics in last year’s Munster final against Limerick, both from play and in the shootout. He followed that up with another notable bench contribution in Cork’s All-Ireland semi-final decimation of Dublin last July.
Séamus Harnedy – another starter from the ‘24 All-Ireland final – has played 19 minutes in the championship so far. He was a sub in ’25, but had just come back from a hamstring injury prior to the decider.
Tim O’Mahony and Tommy O’Connell have been O’Connor’s go-to midfield partnership, and they look set to be reunited once again for Sunday’s game with Clare, now that Rob Downey has returned from injury.
On the defensive front, O’Connor’s adjustments have more so come from necessity rather than choice, but he did invert the roles of Eoin Downey and Ciarán Joyce, until the Rebels lost the Castlemartyr defender to an ACL injury.
In Joyce’s absence, Damien Cahalane has returned to the No 3 role, and made his first championship start since last year’s Munster final when he played full-back in Cork’s win at Waterford.
The ‘tearing up the script’ metaphor might be out of place here when describing what O’Connor has changed with the Cork team in his first season, but he’s definitely done more than was expected.
Not quite revolution, but not exactly evolution either. This team has become distinctly Ben’s, with a sudden shift in the age profile.
The oldest forwards in the Cork team named for Sunday are Brian Hayes and Shane Barrett at 25. Alan Connolly is 24.
Granted, Darragh Fitzgibbon is injured and would have featured in the half-forward line, but his shift from midfield to there is another thing which O’Connor has pushed this year.
The remaining three forwards named on Sunday are Diarmuid Healy, William Buckley and Barry Walsh. Walsh is still U20, Buckley (22) debuted this year, and Healy (22) debuted last season.
Diarmuid Healy tussles with Mike Casey of Limerick. Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO
Only Barrett, Connolly and Hayes were starters in the last two All-Ireland finals. None of this Sunday’s front six started the 2021 All-Ireland final defeat to Limerick. Whereas four of the six Limerick forwards from that day featured against Cork last month, and that would have been five of six, had Aaron Gillane not been injured.
Ten of the players O’Connor worked with during his time in charge of the Cork U20s have been part of this year’s panel, and four – Eoin Downey, Buckley, Barry Walsh and Healy – have taken starting spots that they look set to hold.
O’Connor has shown a preference for youth over experience, and to date, it’s working. Eight wins and two defeats in competitive games, three championship wins on the bounce.
Whether Cork will finally capture that elusive All-Ireland title remains to be seen. But victory or defeat, it won’t be the same team that have missed out on Liam MacCarthy in the past two seasons.
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The team that Ben built: How O'Connor has changed Cork's age profile
BEFORE CORK’S HURLERS opened their league account against Waterford, the expectation was that new boss Ben O’Connor would only make tweaks.
A position here, a player there. Minuscule changes would do.
Naturally so, given that Cork had reached the previous two All-Ireland finals. And, when that question was put to O’Connor before the season started – if the script would be torn up – the answer was what had been anticipated.
“No. Why would I?” O’Connor responded. “All the tools are there.”
There were six fresh call ups and three past players added to the 2026 Cork panel that he announced prior to the league. Numbers far too small to constitute any script shredding.
But, O’Connor’s championship teams have differed. Significantly.
He’s made tweaks that have raised a few eyebrows, ruffled some feathers and crumpled several script pages.
So far, after three Munster championship matches, there have been championship bows for Alan Walsh, Hugh O’Connor, Barry Walsh and William Buckley. Four forwards, three of which have made starts, and two who have been named to do so again in this Sunday’s XV.
That injection of youth up front has been something that Cork have profited from. The debutants have combined for a total of 0-17 from play across a combined 421 minutes, which works out as a shared contribution just short of three points per game. Buckley and Walsh were immense on debut and caught everyone’s attention after their defeat of Tipperary.
But the displacement of the forwards that were there previously has garnered attention.
Patrick Horgan retired at the end of last season, but Jack O’Connor and Conor Lehane – used substitutes in the 2024 and 2025 finals respectively – were both omitted from Ben O’Connor’s league panel ahead of the 2026 season.
This weekend, Declan Dalton makes his first matchday 26 of the Munster championship campaign, having not made a start since February. Dalton was a starter in the previous two All-Ireland finals, though was the first Cork player to be pulled off in both.
Shane Kingston is yet to play a championship minute this season, despite his heroics in last year’s Munster final against Limerick, both from play and in the shootout. He followed that up with another notable bench contribution in Cork’s All-Ireland semi-final decimation of Dublin last July.
Séamus Harnedy – another starter from the ‘24 All-Ireland final – has played 19 minutes in the championship so far. He was a sub in ’25, but had just come back from a hamstring injury prior to the decider.
Tim O’Mahony and Tommy O’Connell have been O’Connor’s go-to midfield partnership, and they look set to be reunited once again for Sunday’s game with Clare, now that Rob Downey has returned from injury.
On the defensive front, O’Connor’s adjustments have more so come from necessity rather than choice, but he did invert the roles of Eoin Downey and Ciarán Joyce, until the Rebels lost the Castlemartyr defender to an ACL injury.
In Joyce’s absence, Damien Cahalane has returned to the No 3 role, and made his first championship start since last year’s Munster final when he played full-back in Cork’s win at Waterford.
The ‘tearing up the script’ metaphor might be out of place here when describing what O’Connor has changed with the Cork team in his first season, but he’s definitely done more than was expected.
Not quite revolution, but not exactly evolution either. This team has become distinctly Ben’s, with a sudden shift in the age profile.
The oldest forwards in the Cork team named for Sunday are Brian Hayes and Shane Barrett at 25. Alan Connolly is 24.
Granted, Darragh Fitzgibbon is injured and would have featured in the half-forward line, but his shift from midfield to there is another thing which O’Connor has pushed this year.
The remaining three forwards named on Sunday are Diarmuid Healy, William Buckley and Barry Walsh. Walsh is still U20, Buckley (22) debuted this year, and Healy (22) debuted last season.
Only Barrett, Connolly and Hayes were starters in the last two All-Ireland finals. None of this Sunday’s front six started the 2021 All-Ireland final defeat to Limerick. Whereas four of the six Limerick forwards from that day featured against Cork last month, and that would have been five of six, had Aaron Gillane not been injured.
Ten of the players O’Connor worked with during his time in charge of the Cork U20s have been part of this year’s panel, and four – Eoin Downey, Buckley, Barry Walsh and Healy – have taken starting spots that they look set to hold.
O’Connor has shown a preference for youth over experience, and to date, it’s working. Eight wins and two defeats in competitive games, three championship wins on the bounce.
Whether Cork will finally capture that elusive All-Ireland title remains to be seen. But victory or defeat, it won’t be the same team that have missed out on Liam MacCarthy in the past two seasons.
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Evolution GAA Hurling