The hardest part of being the manager is picking the team

AT SEPARATE points during a wide-ranging half-hour conversation, Pat Ryan throws out the names of different Cork players who are flying in training.

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Robbie O'Flynn, Conor Lehane, Shane Kingston, Brian Roche, and Damien Cahalane get a mention. None are starting against Dublin this evening. Each could make a major impact before the day is done.

When you're outside the starting 15, careers can turn on the smallest of moments.

Take Lehane (inset right). The Midleton veteran didn't feature in last year's All-Ireland semifinal or final. He played just one minute during an injury-hit round-robin campaign.

Once again, in the Munster final, he came on in the third of four added minutes as Limerick lined up a potential winning free. It went wide, Lehane was outstanding in extra-time, and stitched his penalty in the shootout.

His case raises a bone of contention for Ryan.

"That's one of my gripes with the GAA. Everyone needs 30 at training, everybody's doing 15v15s, it should be 30 on the panel.

"I think it's off the wall, 26. I don't know where 26 even comes from. But that was brilliant for Conor, because he's shooting the lights out inside in training at the moment. He deserved it.

"Conor's probably the lowest percentage of fat on our panel. That's how dedicated he is for a fella who's 32, just after getting married.

"It would have been easy for Conor to say, I didn't get much of a run last year, I didn't come on in the All-Ireland final, will I step away?

"But that wasn't his attitude. What can I do to get back into it? I'm getting married, how can we fit this around it?"