Be maintained

Gaelic Grounds.

While it wouldn’t have been a primary target for the men at the helm, and it won’t count for very much in the overall scheme of things by the end of the season, winning the Munster League has to go down as some sort of confidence-booster prior to the commencement of the National League.

Regardless of how Cork fared out of course, their rating wasn’t going to be significantly altered, but it’s surely better to be heading into the NHL with a sequence of wins rather than a few defeats behind them.

Perhaps, the main positive to be taken from the Munster League was the admirable commitment and attitude displayed by the players on duty in every game, indicating they are hell-bent on doing all they can to restore pride on Leeside and trigger off an upsurge in the county’s fortunes this year.

Notwithstanding how demoralising last year was, Cork have the nucleus of a useful team, and it would be a big help in getting things moving in the right direction if some of the new additions to the panel step up to the plate.

It can be safely said that no definite conclusions regarding the potential of the newcomers will be reached on the basis of what transpired in the Munster League, but the hope is that a few of them will provide further evidence they have something to offer in the more demanding environment of the spring campaign.

That Cork’s first two games against Clare and Dublin are at home is just what the doctor ordered, as it’s quite conceivable they’ll get something out of both of them, which would be a badly-needed boost to confidence and morale, as well as giving them a bit of momentum ahead of their next two extremely daunting assignments away to Kilkenny and Waterford.

Tipp will be in opposite corner for Cork’s last outing in Division 1A, and, even with home advantage, it’s going to be no easy task to lower the colours of the All-Ireland champions, who inflicted two humiliating defeats on the Rebels last year.

Realistically, Cork can’t be regarded as serious contenders for the league title, but as Kieran Kingston remarked after the Munster League final, the management’s priority over the next few weeks is to build a strong squad with a blend of youth and experience, and hopefully have a balanced team that’s going to work hard come the championship.