Who is Eoin Dillon?

TO MOST national hurling observers, Cork’s new full-back Eoin Dillon for tomorrow’s NHL Division One final against Galway is something of an unknown but the Milford player has impressive underage credentials.

He has featured regularly for Cork underage sides in recent years in his natural position at the edge of the square.

Dillon was a member of the Cork minor panel in 2004 that won the Munster title before starting at full-back when they regained the crown the following year.

He then featured for three successive years at full-back on Cork U21 sides between 2006 and 2008, his solitary Munster medal in that grade coming in 2007.

Like plenty of his Cork colleagues in tomorrow’s match, it was Galway who put paid to All-Ireland underage dreams with the Tribesmen defeating the Cork minors in the 2005 All-Ireland semi-final and the Cork U21s in the 2007 All-Ireland semi-final.

Interestingly in the context of tomorrow’s game, Dillon marked Portumna’s Joe Canning on both occasions which ensures he has first-hand experience of the man he faces in Semple Stadium tomorrow evening.

Dillon has been a regular for the Cork IT Fitzgibbon Cup team in recent seasons at full-back, helping them to reach the last four of the competition in 2008. He won an All-Ireland intermediate medal with Cork at midfield last year and has played in that position and attack for his club Milford at intermediate level.