Mark Coleman set to make return for Rebels

Cork hurling manager John Meyler is hopeful Mark Coleman will make his first league appearance of the year when Waterford visit Páirc Uí Chaoimh this Sunday.

A hamstring injury sidelined the 2017 All Star for Cork’s opening three games of the league, as well as two of UCC’s Fitzgibbon Cup fixtures, Manager John Meyler is optimistic the Blarney half-back will feature in this week-end’s Division 1 league clash.

“We were out in Grenagh before the first round of the league and Mark injured his hamstring. If you play him before he’s ready and he breaks down again, he is gone for six weeks. It is a case of being cautious,” Meyler said last night.

Alan Cadogan and Conor Lehane, two late withdrawals from the team which went down to Clare last Sunday, should figure on this occasion.

“Alan was very sick last weekend and therefore wasn’t in a position to play. Conor, then, had a sore groin. Our hand would be strengthened if Lehane, Cadogan, and Coleman were back. Hopefully, we’ll have them back.”

Unlikely to see game-time against a Waterford side chasing their first league win are Darragh Fitzgibbon and Damien Cahalane. The latter is struggling with a knee injury and has been to see a specialist, Philip Hodnett, as to what step he takes next to address the problem. Fitzgibbon is troubled by a groin injury.

“I am expecting a massive match against Waterford,” said Meyler. “Every game we have gone out to win and so there’ll be no change in that respect. Being 11 points down at half-time was disappointing. The 20 minutes of the first half where we didn’t perform can’t happen again.

“I said from day one we need to be competitive and try and introduce one, two, three players and bring them through to championship. That is the bottom line.”

Elsewhere, Tipperary football selector Shane Stapleton will not be on the line for the county’s Division 2 fixture at home to Meath this Saturday.

Stapleton was taken by ambulance to hospital after hitting his head off concrete midway through the second-half of Tipperary’s visit to Cusack Park a fortnight ago. A collision with Clare footballer Jamie Malone saw Stapleton fall back and hit his head.

Tipperary forward Michael Quinlivan, substituted during the first half of that drawn game because of a rib injury, has been passed fit to play.