Lehane and Coughlan key figures for Cork

Senior stars Conor Lehane and Jamie Coughlan will be key figures in the Cork attack for tomorrow night’s Bord Gáis Energy Munster U21HC quarter-final clash with Tipperary at Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

Cork, managed by Ger Fitzgerald, named their side last night, with left half-forward Lehane and right corner-forward Coughlan two of the five remaining players from the team which began against Limerick in last year’s final. Full-back Damien Cahalane, centre-back Christopher Joyce and full-forward Dean Brosnan are the others.

Another member of Jimmy Barry-Murphy’s senior panel, midfielder Darren Sweetnam, is not considered due to Leaving Cert commitments, though another of last year’s minors, Castlelyons’ Colm Spillane, is selected at left corner-back despite also sitting the exam. Lisgoold’s John Cronin, right half-back on this year’s Cork U21 football squad, is chosen at centre-forward.

Seán Curran, younger brother of senior captain Paul, is the only senior panellist in the Tipperary side, lining out at centre-forward. Midfielder Brian Stapleton is a brother of senior defender Thomas, while left half-forward Niall O’Meara is Brian’s younger brother.

Left corner-forward Liam McGrath captained Tipp to last year’s All-Ireland minor football win, while right corner-back Stephen Maher and midfielder Dan McCormack won Fitzgibbon Cup medals with UCC this year, along with Cork’s Brosnan.

Cork beat Tipperary 4-19 to 1-21 at the semi-final stage in Thurles last year. The winners meet Limerick on July 18.

In Leinster, Wexford include six of the county’s senior hurling squad for their clash with Offaly in Tullamore, with Jack Guiney, scorer of 1-2 in the senior game on Saturday, named at full-forward.

Willie Devereux is at number 2, like he was on Saturday, while Matthew O’Hanlon plays at full-back, having been centre-back in the senior game. They line out in front of senior reserve goalkeeper Mark Fanning.

Diarmuid O’Keeffe and Gary Moore, neither of whom saw game-time in O’Connor Park three days ago, are at midfield and left half-forward respectively, while left corner-back Alan Nolan is on senior manager Liam Dunne’s extended training panel.

The winners meet Kilkenny in the provincial semi-final, while the victors of the Dublin-Laois clash in Portlaoise advance to play Carlow.

CORK (U21H v Tipperary): S Nyhan (Courcey Rovers); P O’Mahony (Midleton), D Cahalane (St Finbarr’s), C Spillane (Castlelyons); D O’Mahony (Carrigtwohill), C Joyce (Na Piarsaigh), P O’Brien (Killeagh); N Kelly (Mayfield), D Drake (Carrigaline); M Sugrue (Bandon), J Cronin (Lisgoold), C Lehane (Midleton); J Coughlan (Newtownshandrum), D Brosnan (Glen Rovers), E O’Sullivan (Sarsfields).

TIPPERARY (U21H v Cork): P Ryan (Upperchurch-Drombane); S Maher (Thurles Sarsfields), A Ryan (Toomevara), P Ryan (Clonakenny); W Ryan (Clonakenny), D Maher (Thurles Sarsfields), J Cahill (Kilruane McDonaghs); B Stapleton (Templederry Kenyons), D McCormack (Borrisileigh); J O’Dwyer (Killeanaule), S Curran (Mullinahone), N O’Meara (Kilruane McDonaghs); É Murray (Templederry Kenyons), D Collins (Drom-Inch), L McGrath (Loughmore-Castleiney).

WEXFORD (U21H v Offaly): M Fanning; W Devereux, M O’Hanlon, A Nolan; M Moloney, C Goff, A Cash; A Nolan, D O’Keeffe; L Chin, M O’Regan, G Moore; J Hobbs, J Guiney, B Carton.