We got the six-day turnaround wrong last year, says Cork manager Pat Ryan

Pat Ryan says Cork have absorbed the lessons of 2023 for their bid to escape the Munster round-robin.

The Rebel boss believes they got their preparation wrong in the six-day turnaround last year and will give his players a break between games this time around.

Cork open with a trip to Waterford before welcoming Clare to SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh seven days later.

"We definitely got it wrong between the Waterford and the Tipperary game. It was six days. I definitely think we got that wrong," says Ryan.

"We probably needed to give lads a bit of a break afterwards. We got lads back in straightaway the next day for a bit of recovery and analysis work.

"We have an extra day this time between the Waterford and Clare games. We'll probably give them a bit more of a break this time."

Ryan is certain the home games against league champions Clare and All-Ireland champions Limerick will be vital for their progression prospects.

"Your home games are key. That’s what kept us out of qualifying last year. We beat Waterford and we didn’t play as well as we wanted against Tipperary. We probably should’ve won the game coming down the stretch.

"Those two home games will decide our year."

In the months of analysis that followed their narrow championship elimination, Ryan has pinpointed plenty of areas for improvement.

He’s seeking more flair in their game through extra goals and better long-range point-taking, aspirations which are boosted by the returns to fitness of Alan Connolly and Mark Coleman.

"One thing that Alan does is he goes for goals. He’s very, very direct in the way he does it. Tipperary have a couple of those fellas. Jake Morris does that a lot. Aaron Gillane does that with Limerick as well. It is a vital component of the way we want to