McCarthy makes welcome return for Wexford clash

IT’S the long road to Wexford Park again for the Cork hurlers this Sunday after last week’s postponement, but Cork selector Ger Cunningham is philosophical about the trip.

“People had plans made for when the game was originally on, and it’s a bit inconvenient having to go down there two Sundays in a row. Still, I suppose it’s probably fairer having the final games next week at the same time.”

Cork welcome Niall McCarthy back to the half-forward line for Sunday’s game.

“Yes, Ronan Conway got a bit of a knock in a game on Monday night,” says Cunningham.

“Niall was the obvious guy to replace him, he’s been training well and it’s good to get him back.

“All along we’ve been missing four or five of the All-Ireland team, but that’s given us the chance to look at the reserves we have and to see if they can measure up. We’re happy with the lads we’ve seen even though it’s very early days, we’ve only had three games, so it’s hard for someone to give an outstanding performance.”

Part of the challenge for newcomers to the panel is adapting to a new and challenging environment.

“From talking to the lads that can be an issue, the likes of Ronan Conway, Daragh McSweeney and Shane O’Neill are students, so it’s a busy time for them with exams. They’re trying to adapt to studying and fitting into a new environment, a different training regime.

“We’ll have a lot to do on Sunday against Wexford, it’s hard to win away from home. They’ve everything to play for because they’ll expect to beat Down in their last game, and they’re playing the All-Ireland champions. John (Allen) has mentioned that the ante is upped with every team we play, in league and challenge games teams are measuring themselves against us. Wexford are young enough, they’re probably building a team, but any team looking towards the championship will want to get good games late on in the league.”

Meanwhile, Donegal will have home advantage for their Allianz National Football League refixture with Longford, which will be played next Tuesday evening in Ballyshannon (6.15pm).

The game was originally fixed for March 5 but was postponed because of an error in communications between the Games Administration and the Central Council. Longford believed it was a home game for them but Donegal claimed that in the original fixture list drawn up, they would be at home.

There was a further complication when Longford sought a change of date to avoid a clash with their Under-21 footballers’ championship game.

After discussions between both counties and the GAC, it was accepted that it was Donegal who were entitled to a home fixture.