Pan el con tin ues to evolve

The new Cork management can’t be accused of not casting a wide net in their search for fresh blood ahead of next Sunday’s Munster football semi-final encounter with Tipperary in Thurles.

Over the course of the seven games played in the National League, no fewer than 35 players were given a run, but it remains to be seen how many of the newcomers will be handed a starting berth for the championship opener.

There will definitely be a few changes from the team which exited the championship in such an ignominious manner at the hands of Kildare in an All-Ireland qualifier last year, with Peter Kelleher virtually certain to get the nod at full-forward.

Kelleher, whose only previous championship appearance was as a late substitute in Cork’s opening assignment against Clare 12 months ago, made the most of his opportunity to lay down a marker in the league, producing a number of impressive displays, most notably against Dublin in Croke Park.

He also starred with the Cork Under 21 team this season, and, while the big Kilmichael man’s prowess as a ball-winning full forward has been well touted at this stage, there is a lot more to his game than that of a mere targetman at the edge of the square.

Kelleher is obviously a tremendous prospect, but he wasn’t the only comparative rookie to perform promisingly during the league, as Millsteet’s Kevin Crowley at corner back, Ballincollig Sean Kiely at midfield, and Nemo Rangers’ Luke Connolly up front also did well.

Of these, Connolly, who regularly caught the eye with the quality of his kick-passing, is most likely to be accomodated in the first fifteen.

Ian Maguire – who made his championship debut two years ago but didn’t feature last season due to injury – was another to enjoy a decent league, and the powerfully built St Finbarr’s clubman could be ready to blossom into a midfielder of considerable stature in the summer ahead.

That fledgling Rebel manager Peadar Healy and his co-selectors Eamonn Ryan, Eoin O’Neill and Morgan O’Sullivan were able to run the rule over so many up-andcoming hopefuls was facilitated to a certain extent by the fact that several of Cork’s more familiar names were unavailable for much of the spring campaign.

Such as Patrick Kelly, Fintan Goold, Alan O’Connor, Donncha O’Connor, James Loughrey, John O’Rourke and Barry O’Driscoll are all back in the equation now, as is Cork Under 21 captain Stephen Cronin, who was a regular on the championship team last year, but Michael Shields and goalkeeper Ken O’Halloran are deemed surplus to requirements by the men at the helm at the moment.

Kelly, Goold, the two O’Connors and the currently discarded Shields, along with Colm O’Neill, Eoin Cadogan, Paul Kerrigan and Daniel Goulding, provide the link with Cork’s 2010 All-Ireland winning squad, but the likelihood is most of the aforementioned won’t command a regular place on the team under Peader Healy’s stewardship.

O’Neill, Cadogan and team skipper Kerrigan are guaranteed starters, while Goulding is probably in with just and outside chance of getting one of the corner-forward berths ahead of Brian Hurley.

Mark Collins and Brian O’Driscoll are others certain to see plenty game-time over the coming months, starting with the showdown against Tipp next Sunday.

One suspects the selectors will have made quite a few marginal calls in picking the side for the visit to Semple Stadium, particularly in defence where – with Cadogan and Brian O’Driscoll automatic choices at full back and certain-back respectively – Kevin O’Driscoll, Tomas Clancy, Jamie O’Sullivan, Stephen Cronin, Kevin Crowley, James Loughrey. Barry O’Driscoll and Colm O’Driscoll, who can expect to be considered for one of the wing-forward slots as well, are all in contention for the other four places up for grabs.

With Ryan Price of O’Donovan Rossa seemingly set to replace Ken O’Halloran and make his inaugural championship appearance between the sticks, my ever so tentative guess is that the team will be along the following lines.

Ryan Price; Jamie O’Sullivan, Eoin Cadogan, James Loughrey; Tomas Clancy, Brian O’Driscoll, Kevin O’Driscoll; Ian Maguire, Mark Collins; Colm O’Driscoll, Luke Connolly, Paul Kerrigan; Colm O’Neill, Peter Kelleher, Brian Hurley.