Nine minutes into the second half of Saturday’s Munster semi-final rout, Cork called Brian Hurley ashore.

Sean Powter could see action for the Cork footballers this summer — but only if the county progresses as far as the Super 8s.

Sean Powter could see action for the Cork footballers this summer - but only if the county progresses as far as the Super 8s.

Cork has suffered a serious double blow in their preparations for the Munster football championship with two of the county’s brightest young talents succumbing to potentially season-ending injuries.

Seán Powter will start his first game for the Cork footballers in almost 14 months this weekend.

With Cork unable to do themselves any favours on Saturday, it was the unintentional goodwill of others that has them still in with a slim chance of avoiding the drop.

It might only be the McGrath Cup, but the Cork footballers, for a variety of reasons, would be best served by ensuring the pre-season silverware is perched at the front of the team bus when it pulls out of Willie Clancy country tomorrow afternoon.

The Cork team to play Clare in the McGrath Cup Final on Saturday at 2pm, has been announced.

It remains sport’s enduring mystery: The No-Show.

Cork are 7/2 with the bookies but I wouldn’t back them. I was never involved with Kerry in a Munster final in Páirc Ui Chaoimh where Cork were that friendless in the market. The message is clear: Being competitive and getting within two or three points of Kerry represents progress.

Since Conor Counihan departed as Cork manager almost five years ago, three different managers have presided over 54 games and used 76 players — and not once put the same team out in successive games. Eoghan Cormican crunches the numbers.

The Cork football team to face Tipperary in Saturday’s Munster SFC semi-final contains two championship debutants.

The Cork football team to face Tipperary in Saturday’s Munster SFC semi-final contains two championship debutants.

Despite an “up and down” league campaign, the Cork footballers are heading in the right direction, according to midfielder Ian Maguire.

Waterford manager Tom McGlinchey has received an eight-week sideline ban after he chose not to contest the proposed suspension last night.

All the big issues that the weekend threw up. 

Cork 1-16 Tipperary 3-16: That Liam Kearns wasn’t the least bit surprised by this result says plenty about the changed nature of the Cork-Tipperary relationship. In fact, the Premier boss “couldn’t understand” how pundits had tipped Cork beforehand.

The Barr’s reconvened on Tuesday evening last. Of the starting team from two days earlier, six didn’t tog. They couldn’t.

Nemo Rangers and St Finbarr’s will have to do it all again after the latter hauled back a seven-point second-half deficit in the Cork SFC decider.

There has been no shortage of sympathy for Limerick hurling in this column.

Diarmuid Murtagh sealed a wonderful individual performance by calmly slotting a dramatic winner of a hugely entertaining Cadbury All-Ireland U21FC semi-final from a difficult free in the second minute of injury time.

Cork 3-15 Limerick 0-08

Actress Amanda Burton has spoken publicly about the miscarriage she suffered on the night she won TV’s Best Actress award.