Tom Clancy and John O’Rourke ruled out

Cork footballers will be without the injured Tom Clancy and John O’Rourke for their Munster championship opener against Clare this Sunday.

Clancy picked up an ankle injury in Clonakilty’s Cork SFC round 2 defeat to O’Donovan Rossa last month, while O’Rourke is still recovering from the dislocated shoulder incurred during the league final hammering to Dublin at the end of April.

Midfielder Ian Maguire, who missed Cork’s entire U21 campaign with a bulging disc in his lower back, has resumed light training and selector Ronan McCarthy is optimistic the St Finbarr’s player will figure at some point later in the summer.

“The longer he goes without a set-back [the better chance he has of returning this summer]. We just have to watch him carefully,” said McCarthy.

“It was a serious enough injury which he picked up in early March right before the U21 started. In fairness to Dr Con [Murphy] and the medical team, they have minded him and brought him back bit-by-bit.

“He has just started back training. He is still a number of weeks away. He is not at full contact yet, but he is doing almost everything else at training.

“Tom [Clancy] is on the mend, John is a few weeks away still from being fit.”

McCarthy also hinted at a starting berth for the retuning Alan O’Connor.

The 30-year old stepped away from the inter-county scene at the end of the 2013 season, rejoining the Cork set-up in the week leading up to the league decider.

“He is coming along very well. He looked after himself brilliantly during the time when he wasn’t involved with the inter-county scene. He has really slotted back into it ideally.

“Alan brings an awful lot by the way he plays the game and also the leadership he brings to training. He has been brilliant and it was a great call to bring him back.”