O'Connor keen to give Kilkenny a test

NATIONAL HURLING LEAGUE:IF THERE was a sorry point in Cork hurling in, say, the last 10 or even 20 years then it was probably last season's National League meeting with Kilkenny. Cork's tails were up. The infamous players strike was finally broken. New manager Denis Walsh was on board for the first time. Yet they left Nowlan Park that day on a score line of Kilkenny 4-26 Cork 0-11 – which also reads as a 27-point defeat for Cork.

Worse still, Kilkenny got a standing ovation. At half-time. It was like Placido Domingo receiving garlands of flowers at the interval in La Traviata. There was no denying Cork’s humiliation. So on Sunday, they get their chance for some revenge when they host Kilkenny in Páirc Uí Chaoimh, and although neither team will be still caught up with last year’s result, it is an obvious reference point.

Cork’s Ben O’Connor has described it as “embarrassing”, but also says Cork are a far different team this time than they were this time last year – and obviously they are. They’ve won their first two league games, against Offaly and Limerick, and while Kilkenny enjoyed a win over Offaly, they went down to Tipperary in last Sunday’s rematch of the All-Ireland final – and suddenly they are the team under greater pressure to perform.

“It was embarrassing in Nowlan Park last year,” said O’Connor. “There was a big crowd in, and you had fellas roaring at you. It was a bad place to be. There is no point in saying otherwise, that it will be in fellas’ minds alright.

“But we have moved on from there. We’re looking at putting in a big performance and going in to win it. We are also looking at it as a stepping stone to the championship this year. So there won’t be too much emphasis on it either. But when you play Kilkenny you get the first gauge of where fellas are really at, and whether they will be able to perform under pressure. The week after we have Tipp. These are the two big games for Cork to see where we are at the moment.”

Cork currently top Division One, on points difference, over Galway – who themselves face a potentially league-defining match against Tipperary. For the Limerick hurlers, meanwhile, the journey to Dungarvan to face Waterford is another daunting prospect against the continuing background of the players’ strike

It now appears inevitable a motion of no confidence in Justin McCarthy will be brought to the next county board meeting, at least if the mood of Tuesday’s meeting is anything to go by – when several delegates spoke of their concern that the matter of the players on strike has still not been resolved

This will require five clubs to put in writing a motion of no confidence to be submitted at the next meeting, and that, perhaps, may finish the matter once and for all. In the meantime, chairman Liam Lenihan has effectively ruled out mediation, saying it would be too costly and unlikely to move the matter any further to a resolution – and that the delegates either come back with a motion of no confidence, or that’s it.

“It’s all systems go with Justin McCarthy and the 2010 panel,” said Lenihan yesterday. “The 2009 players are welcome, the door is open. I can only say again the players should think seriously about it. But we made a decision and we’ve been very consistent with that decision. A democratic decision was taken (to have McCarthy as manager); where we’re concerned, unless it is overturned, that decision still stands.”