Cork and Offaly make changes for qualifier clash
The Rebels make two changes in personnel from their two-point loss to Tipperary in the Munster semi-final while Offaly introduce three new faces from their Leinster semi-final loss against Galway.
For Cork, in comes highly rated Na Piarsaigh defender, Christopher Joyce, replacing dual star Eoin Cadogan at centre-back (Cadogan, who has opted to play with the Cork footballers in the Munster final against Clare on Sunday, will be on the bench for this game).
Cian McCarthy starts at centre-forward and Pa Cronin moves to the wing in place of Cathal Naughton.
For those outside Cork the introduction of Joyce will probably come as a surprise, preferred as he is to his two far more experienced club colleagues, Seán Óg Ó hAilpín and John Gardiner. No such surprise for those inside the county, however; the 20-year-old has been in outstanding form for club and county (at U-21 level) so far this year.
Offaly too have a championship debutant, goalkeeper Eoin Kelly ! replacing James Dempsey, while Conor Hernon and Sean Ryan make their first championship starts of the year.
Hernon comes in at corner-back for David Franks, Ryan starts alongside Kevin Brady in midfield with Conor Mahon shifted to centre-forward, Cathal Parlon losing his starting place. In other positional changes Derek Morkan moves to right-half-back and James Rigney switches back to the left corner.
In the attack, Colin Egan goes to right-half-forward with big Joe Bergin shifting to his most dangerous position, on the edge of the square.
In the other senior hurling qualifier (Cusack Park this Saturday, 7pm), neither Clare nor Dublin will name their starting 15 before this evening but the word in Clare is that both Seán Collins and Darach Honan are pushing hard for places up front. There is speculation also that there may be a new midfield pairing, with team captain Patrick Donnellan moving to centre-back and his erstwhile midfield partner Nicky O’Connell also dropping to the half-back line.
In Dublin, meanwhile, manager Anthony Daly is keeping his cards close to his chest, a low profile all this week as they attempt to bounce back from their heavy defeat at the hands of Kilkenny in the Leinster semi-final.
This Sunday sees a novel pairing in the Munster senior football final, Clare meeting Cork at the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick, but there is concern in the Banner as corner-forward Rory Donnelly, scorer of five points from play in last year’s Munster quarter-final loss to Cork, is struggling to recover from a hamstring injury.
Another man battling to be fit is Graham Kelly, brother of centre-back Gordon, who missed out in the semi-final win against Limerick with a hand injury. If fit, Graham will almost certainly start, though his memories of last year’s loss to Cork are less happy than Donnelly’s — he was sent off.
CORK (SH v Offaly): A Nash; S O’Neill, B Murphy, C O’Sullivan; T Kenny, C Joyce, W Egan; D Sweetnam, L McLoughlin; C Lehane, C McCarthy, P Cronin; J Coughlan, P O’Sullivan, P Horgan.
OFFALY (SH v Cork): E Kelly; C Hernon, D Kenny, J Rigney; D Morkan, R Hanniffy, D Horan; K Brady, S Ryan; C Egan, C Mahon, B Murphy; S Dooley, J Bergin, B Carroll.
