A DOMINANT display against Waterford marked an encouraging start to Ben O’Connor’s tenure as Cork senior hurling boss.

The Rebels’ national hurling league Division 1A opener was a day when debutant William Buckley and Declan Dalton, in his new role at full forward, stood out with 1-4 each.

Next up is an away trip to face Galway in Pearse Stadium this Saturday night (7pm), and it represents another chance for players pushing for starting spots to impress.

Last Sunday, Cork showed they haven’t gone away, despite scoring just 0-2 in the second half of last year’s All-Ireland final defeat to Tipperary. But a new manager with new ideas means a new start.

Converting 68 percent of their chances against Waterford is a figure O’Connor will have been pleased with, as were the puckout statistics. Cork won 20 of 26, with only six deliveries dropping inside their own 45.

That suggests Patrick Collins is still going long, but the difference is Cork are winning primary possession. It’s early days, but still a positive indicator. They only won 52 percent of turnovers, however, which is a slight concern but something that can be ironed out.

Diarmuid Healy was another player who looked sharp and continues to grow at senior level, converting all four of his shots in the opening round. He and Shane Barrett were impressive in the first half of last year’s All-Ireland final, which may have been forgotten amid the chaos.

It was also encouraging to see more new faces introduced from the bench, including Hugh O’Connor, Alan Walsh and Eoin Roche.

Expect more players with a point to prove to get starts this weekend or, at the very least, meaningful minutes off the bench.

When previewing Cork’s fixtures before round one, Galway’s inconsistencies in recent seasons were mentioned, but their performance in the 1-21 to 1-16 loss to Tipperary was impressive. A largely inexperienced side lined out for the Tribesmen, yet new names began to emerge. Rory Burke was a threat at centre forward, Darragh Neary looked a tireless worker, while Jason Rabbitte was involved in 1-4, scoring 0-2 and assisting 1-2.

With the game in Salthill, this will be a sterner test for Cork than the Waterford clash, but that’s no bad thing.

The sooner this Cork side faces challenging opposition with new players bedding in, the better. It will help them adjust to tough, physical contests and serve as valuable preparation for the always demanding Munster championship.