Ben O’Connor had no qualms about making nine changes to his team for the win over Kilkenny – not least because he wasn’t even aware of the scale of the alterations.
Cork had been rotating their side already during the league and injuries to various players – and Shane Barrett’s suspension – meant that the hand of O’Connor and his selectors was forced to a degree for the trip to UPMC Nowlan Park.
However, even with so many switches, there was no noticeable weakening of the team or squad.
“I didn’t even realise we had made nine changes, I’ll tell you the truth,” O’Connor said afterwards. “I know we had a couple of injuries, but I didn’t realise we had nine changes from the last day until someone said it today.
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