HURLING LEAGUE:IF JIMMY Barry-Murphy ever worried about the risk of returning to the post of Cork senior hurling manager, there were no signs of that on Sunday afternoon in Thurles.

It wasn’t just that the Rebel team of rising stars and veterans stayed the pace with Tipperary during a thrilling shoot-out, it

was his Cork team played with flair and evident enjoyment yet again.

JBM’s return to Cork prompted an instant sea-change in optimism after an uncertain few seasons but the form his team has displayed in the league has captivated observers to such an extent former Offaly manager Joe Dooley predicted on a weekend radio show they were capable of winning the All-Ireland.

The prediction brought to mind Christy Ring’s famous comparison between Cork teams and mushrooms in that both come up overnight.

But JBM has been concentrating on nothing further than the next game and after he watched his side secure a late draw against Tipperary, he agreed the performance further embellished the reputations of his younger crop of players.

“That’s exactly what we are delighted about. That these players we brought in are showing that they can play at this level consistently and we wanted to find that out during the league and certainly it has been marvellous from that point of view.

“I mean Darren Sweetman played 80 minutes on Thursday in a local championship match in his division and he was just wrecked at the end in fairness to the lad.

“So it is hard. But the lads are showing marvellous attitude and their aptitude is brilliant. I couldn’t be more pleased with those lads.”

Sweetman thrived, clipping three stylish points during a score-happy first half. The last of these had an element of the training ground about it, with the Dohenys man stepping into a pocket of space at midfield and waiting for Patrick Horgan, in possession in front of the Ryan stand, to spot him.

His shot was uncontested. But the Cork midfield duo was busy all afternoon, with Lorcan McLoughlin popping up all over the field.

“They were both unbelievable. I thought Lorcan was magnificent today and played himself to a standstill almost in the end and you know,

it this kind of game in the heat, we wanted to bring some fresh legs in and we did that towards the end.”

Those “legs” included seasoned campaigners Tom Kenny and John Gardiner. It remains to be seen how the Cork championship side shapes up but in the immediate term, the transition of multiple All-Ireland winners from the heart of the team to support players has been very smooth.

Gardiner’s first contribution was to get on the ball and fire the equalising point to leave it at 1-22, the latest in a series of Cork responses to Tipperary getting their noses in front. Again, JBM didn’t try to disguise his happiness with the spirit his team showed.

“I was delighted. We were four points down on a couple of occasions and I thought our players were magnificent in the last quarter of an hour.

“I know it is only the league and there was quite a lot of open play which you might not get in the championship but both teams bought into the kind of game it was and that was a lot of scores on both sides that you might feel you shouldn’t concede normally but it was marvellous entertainment for the crowd I thought.”

Many players could have been singled out for praise after the match that brought the promise of summer. When the teams meet for the league semi-final, it could all be different: the pitch might be wet, the day cold and the exchanges cagier. But Sunday was one of those rare days when both teams won.

Tipperary, still trying to work through their own disappointments dating from last year’s All-Ireland final, again confirmed they possess considerable firepower and managed to cope with Cork’s energy and zest. Cork showed signs of being contenders again.

When Cork fullback Stephen McDonnell was singled out for special mentioned, JBM nodded but his mind was still absorbed by the overall picture.

“Stephen was excellent at full back. But on both sides . . . I thought Pádraic Maher from Tipperary . . . I mean, he is a fantastic player so there were marvellous displays on both sides and it left people from both sides reasonably happy going home.”