Not since Blackrock overcame Imokilly back in 2001 has a team struck four goals on the concluding afternoon of the Cork hurling championship.

Ger Fitzgerald is steeped in Midleton history. His illustrious club career saw him rack up four senior county medals, two Munster club titles as well as one All-Ireland club crown. There’s also the small matter of two Celtic Crosses from his days on the inter-county scene.

Goal drought continues

Clare 4-17 Cork 0-18: The Munster Council have brought forward the Munster SHL final between Clare and Limerick by one week to avoid the counties meeting on successive weekends.

Further experimentation, further opportunity to impress.

In this first hurling final in Páirc Uí Chaoimh Nua, Imokilly were the better side and deserved their win, says Donal O’Grady.

Imokilly manager Fergal Condon says the east Cork divisional side have built up momentum through match practice — tonight’s Cork SHC replay against Sarsfields (Páirc Uí Rinn, 7pm) has them approaching two dozen outings together as a team.

Late points from Stephen O’Reilly and Shane Crowley edged Duhallow into the fourth round of the Cork SHC, with a 1-20 to 1-18 win over Bride Rovers at Páirc Uí Rinn today.

A goal three minutes into injury-time by Glen Rovers’ David Cunningham saved the Cork SHC champions in an epic Saturday night tussle with old rivals St Finbarr’s at Páirc Uí Rinn.

Allianz HL Division 1A

Cork senior hurling selector Pat Hartnett says league champions Clare, who roll into Páirc Uí Rinn tonight for the NHL Division 1A opener against the home side, represent “a tall order” for a youthful Rebel team.

Kieran Kingston has appealed for patience from Cork fans as his developing side prepares for tomorrow evening’s Allianz NHL Division 1A opener at home to Clare.

Cork 1-26 Dublin 1-23: Firstly, the positives for Cork. Heaven knows there’s been enough of the other stuff this last while.

Imokilly 3-20 UCC 1-11: Séamus Harnedy starred as Imokilly put together a fine all-round performance to better UCC at Riverstown in the opening round of the Cork SHC last night.

Tipperary’s superb first touch, commitment, control of the midfield/halfback area and the slick movement up front of John ‘Bubbles’ Dwyer, John McGrath and Seamus Callanan posed massive challenges for Cork on Sunday.

A lack of defensive fundamentals, rather than opponents’ creativity, often decides a game. Cork must be robust but flexible at the back in Thurles, writes Donal O’Grady.

Dublin got their physicality and hurling to the pitch required to see off Galway last weekend, albeit in Parnell Park. Cork, however, did not throw down the gauntlet to Waterford, apart from the last 10 minutes.

The Roscommon footballers have been forced to concede home advantage for Sunday’s league fixture against Down owing to an unplayable pitch at Hyde Park and a Croke Park ruling the game could not be staged at Kiltoom.

There are five changes in personnel, as well as a number of positional alterations, to the Cork side that will face Waterford in the Allianz Hurling League Division 1A at Páirc Uí Rinn tomorrow night (throw-in 7pm).

Recalls are the story of Kieran Kingston’s first Cork League panel which sees Cian McCarthy, Conor O’Sullivan and William Egan returning to the group.

Sarsfields 0-20, Imokilly 0-16

It was time for a change. 

Aghada 2-14 Castlemartyr 1-11

The stats from Sunday’s semi-final loss to Galway will offer few crumbs of comfort for Jimmy Barry-Murphy and his management team. 

If Cork fans were told before the game that Galway would strike 23 wides to seven for the Rebels, they would have rubbed their hands in anticipation.

Waterford weren’t as sharp against Tipp as they were earlier in the spring. They’re training since last autumn. Fatigue can surreptitiously seep into a losing dressing room.

Cork can’t simply expect that the system used against Clare a fortnight ago will guarantee victory against Galway in Sunday’s All-Ireland SHC quarter-final, according to selector Johnny Crowley.

If Jimmy Barry-Murphy didn’t know he was doing something extraordinary, he must surely have realised it when Dónal Óg Cusack lauded his changing of the script after the qualifier win over Clare last Saturday week.

Jeff Reinebold features as an analyst on Sky’s NFL coverage. He is fond of a fickle character who inevitably helps the winning team from a vital juncture in the game. He calls him Mr Mo Mentum.

Jimmy Barry-Murphy praised the character of his players on Saturday night, but he also cited his team’s structure in their win over Clare.

Cork 0-20 Clare 0-17

If last year’s All-Ireland qualifier against Sligo was the day Cork footballers tore up the script and started again, was the hurlers’ backdoor game with Wexford last Saturday the day they changed tack?

Cork’s 1990 All-Ireland winning hurling captain Tomás Mulcahy has revealed his ambition to “some day” manage the county.