As a modern-day prophet, the car space attendant outside Pairc Ui Rinn got it all wrong. "Der won't even be flies here today," he had wisecracked, little more than an hour before the Oireachtas Cup hurling match between the age-old rivals Cork and Limerick was due to commence yesterday.
Yet that rivalry, with, as Jimmy Barry Murphy put it, "the added spice of Eamonn Cregan being in charge of Limerick", insured that more than flies were interested.
A crowd of around 2,500 turned up and, fittingly, were rewarded with a good, crisp game, which enabled both managers to start assessing their charges for a game of far greater importance next year, the pre-ordained Munster championship encounter.
More often than not, in their own hurling days, Barry Murphy had more reason to be satisfied. So it was yesterday, too. It wasn't so much that Cork actually won - "When all is said and done, it was only a tournament game," remarked the Cork manager - it was more the manner of the win. Cork simply refused to yield and also provided evidence that some young talent, fit and able for senior hurling, has at least emerged. The buzz in the Cork air wasn't confined to the jazz.
Still, Cork attempted to keep things in perspective, and were not losing the run of themselves. After all, the Oireachtas is the Oireachtas, since the National League's revamp, a welcome extension to the season. "It was an encouraging win," agreed Barry Murphy.
"There is a lot of talent, with Cork winning the under-21 and intermediate titles. Its important to harness it and bring players on and, hopefully, we can do that."
Limerick's newly-installed selectors know it is all ahead of them, too. The focus is on the AllIreland title which has slipped from their hands twice already this decade. "Its an interesting situation," mused Cregan, whose first day at the office proved to be a losing one. "We played well in patches today and put up a reasonable performance. It was a good opportunity to try out some players - and it was the same for Jimmy, too. I can see where he is heading. I was impressed with them, especially the way they moved out of defence into attack."
Nobody fitted the bill yesterday more than Cork's full forward, Sean Farrell. Big and strong, and with an elegant touch, this product of Cork's All-Ireland under-21 side was the star turn.
"He's a tough lad all right," said Barry Murphy, with a grin. "Dangerous," opined Cregan in the other dressing room afterwards, already concentrating on who best he can deploy to keep tabs on him in the Munster championship.
Just 24 hours earlier, Farrell had played for his club in a county junior football championship game, and lost. Yesterday he gave a defender of Mike Nash's calibre as tough as hour as he will ever endure on a hurling pitch.
Farrell finished with a personal total of 1-4; yet, it was his physical presence as much as his scoring instinct which most impressed.
The goal actually propelled Cork into the lead for the first time in the game, even it proved a brief dalliance. In the 22nd minute, Brian Corcoran's long free landed short of the small square and Farrell, fending off Nash, whipped up his hurley to flick the sliotar to the net, putting them 1-5 to 0-5 ahead.
Ironically, that was the first occasion that any Cork player other than Micky O'Connell had managed to score. O'Connell had scored all of Cork's points up to that juncture - giving Mark Foley a tough time - but the switch of Dave Clarke from the other wing curtailed O'Connell after that.
Farrell's goal, meanwhile, only spurred Limerick on to greater heights.
Indeed, Limerick's best spell came towards the end of the first half with three superb long-range points - aided by the stiff wind - from Clarke, Foley and Brian Tobin. The piece de resistance was provided by Mike Galligan just seconds before the half time whistle. Joe Quaid's free travelled the best part of 110 yards and, when the sliotar bounced in the Cork square, Galligan nipped in and blasted home.
That three-point lead never looked sufficient. Farrell and O'Connell remained the main threats, and by the 48th minute the sides were level; and they remained level with just 60 seconds left.
Then, Seanie McGrath scored as bizarre a goal as he will ever score. His high shot (an attempted point?) was hit so softly that Quaid ran off his line to confront Kevin Murray. But neither of them connected, and both turned to see McGrath's shot dribble across the line.
Joe Deane and Murray then added two further points to secure a comfortable enough win.
Yet, the suspicion exists that Limerick's defence won't be as loose in future matches - and, no matter how entertaining a game, the clash of the ash in October is never the same in summertime.
Murphy and Cregan know that better than anyone.
Cork: D Cusack; F Ryan, S Barrett, W Sherlock; M Landers, B Corcoran, S O hAilpin; A Walsh, T Murphy; M O'Connell (0-8), M Daly, S McGrath (1-0); D Ronan, S Farrell (1-4), J Deane (0-3). Sub: K Murray (0-1) for Ronan (42 mins).
Limerick: J Quaid; S McDonagh, M Nash, A Brown; D Clarke (0-1), T J Ryan, M Foley (0- 1); F Carroll, B Tobin (0-1); M Galligan (1-4), O Moran (0-2), N Doolin; D Hennessy (0-2), E O'Neill, J Moran (0-3). Subs: D Ryan for Doolin (42 mins); T Hayes for Browne (50 mins); C Smith for O'Neill (57 mins).
Referee: M Wadding (Waterford).
