Cork hurling manager John Meyler is backing his young players to build on their victory over Clare in the Munster SHC.
Meyler replaced Kieran Kingston as head coach last winter and watched his team secure a 2-23 to 1-21 victory over Clare at Pairc Ui Chaoimh.
And Meyler believes his team can continue to progress despite the tender age of his squad.
“Kieran got to an All-Ireland semi-final last year and I was part of that process as well as all the backroom staff. We need to build on this now and we have a lot of young talent,” Meyler said.
“Sean O’Donoghue, Robbie O’Flynn, Tim O’Mahony and Shane Kingston are all 21. We have a lot of young players in Cork that we just need to develop and we need to support them and get behind them.”
A nasty injury to attacker Robbie O’Flynn brought an 11 minute delay to the action before a long-range Tony Kelly free for Clare brought them within a point of Cork.
Cork, however, did not waver as they made sure of victory with a second goal late on. And Meyler hailed the strength of his squad as they saw the result out.
“I was worried about the momentum after Robbie’s injury and that we might falter,” Meyler said.
“But we showed great character and real great drive and that’s within the team. The substitutes made a real contribution as well.”
Meyler also assessed his side’s upcoming fixture against Tipperary and joked about his side’s need to take a professional approach with the game only five days away.
“You can’t go out and celebrate like last year when we beat Tipperary in the first match – we had four weeks off, now we have five days,” Meyler said.
“There’s no few pints tonight; there’s no socialising. It’s all about recovery and getting ready for the next game.
“Tipperary are raw after losing to Limerick today in Thurles. There’s going to be a massive crowd there next Sunday in a massive match and we’re looking to it. Momentum is key and we really need to drive on again.”
Written by James Hopper
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