Cork ladies on the cusp of Munster final spot

Ephie Fitzgerald has made two changes to his Cork attack for today’s TG4 Munster Senior Championship clash with Kerry (Páirc Uí Rinn, 5pm). This fixture is part of a double-header at the Cork venue, and precedes the Munster SFC semi-final between Cork and Limerick (7pm).

Cork, the Lidl NFL Division 1 champions, beat Waterford in Round 2 in Munster and the two switches both happen in the inside line, where Eimear Scally and Saoirse Noonan come in for Sadhbh O’Leary and Libby Coppinger. Victory for Cork would ensure that they play Waterford in the Munster final, as Waterford have already beaten Kerry in the round-robin phase.

A Kerry win would see the three counties locked together on three points — and score difference will be required to determine the two provincial finalists. Kerry have made four changes following the Waterford reverse, ahead of a do-or-die fixture for their Munster ambitions.

Laura Fitzgerald replaces Kayleigh Cronin in goal, while Laoise Coughlan, Amy Foley and Emma Dineen come in for Aislinn Desmond, Miriam O’Keeffe and Hannah O’Donoghue. There’s also a double-header in the TG4 Munster Intermediate Championship this evening, as Clare and Limerick meet at Cusack Park, Ennis (5pm).

CORK (v Kerry):

M O’Brien; C O’Shea, E Meaney, M Duggan; S Kelly, A Hutchings, E Kiely; O Farmer, M O’Callaghan; C O’Sullivan, N Cotter, D Kiely; E Scally, S Noonan, O Finn.

KERRY (v Cork):

L Fitzgerald; E Lynch, L Coughlan, C O’Brien; S Lynch, A O’Connell, C Murphy; L Scanlon, N Carmody; S Houlihan, A Brosnan, A Galvin; L Ní Mhuircheartaigh, E Dineen, A Foley.

CLARE (v Limerick):

C Harvey; E O’Dea, E O’Gorman, G Harvey; C O’Leary, L Ryan, S Ní Chonaill, A Reidy; E O’Connor; R Considine, T Kelly, S Bohannon; G Nolan, N O’Dea, C Callinan.

LIMERICK (v Clare):

M Lyons; R Daly, O Giltenane, K Reidy; M O’Shea, N Ryan, C Mee; L Hanley, R Delee; R Ambrose, M Kavanagh, C Ní Cheallaigh; E Ryan, C Davis, C Hickey.

KILDARE (v Longford):

C Malone; R Cribbin, S O’Sullivan, S Kendrick; C Sullivan, L Gilbert, T Duggan; S Munnelly, G Clifford; L Curran, C Wheeler, A Rattigan; E Dowling, N Dooley, M McKenna.

LONGFORD (v Kildare):

E Esler; R Farrell, L Keegan, L Gallagher; M Moore, E O’Brien, N Darcy; J Brady, M Reynolds; E Heaney, M Farrell, K Shannon; A Greene, A Darcy, A Barry.

MEATH (v Laois):

M McGuirk; K Newe, S Powderly, O Duff; A Cleary, S Ennis, N Gallogly; M O’Shaughnessy, K Byrne; M Thynne, E Duggan, O Byrne; S Grimes, K Nesbitt, V Wall.

LAOIS (v Meath):

F Kelly; M Cotter, C Dunne, M Young; A Healy, E Healy, A Halberlin; L Nerney, J Moore; E Fitzpatrick, C Simms, S Cullen; M Nerney, A Kehoe, E Lawlor.

WICKLOW (v Offaly):

K Connors; E Mulhall, S Hogan; A Gillen; L Fusciardi, J Nolan Byrne, A Maher; A Gorman, J Kinch; S Miley, L Ahern, M Deeney; S Delahunt, L Hogan, C Fox.

OFFALY (v Wicklow):

L Dunne; A Carey, A.M. McCormack, E Nally; N Byrne, A Gavin Mangan, A Kehoe; E Maher, T Dunne; M Byrne, J Byrne, R Ennis; A Stafford, D Hannon, S Cummins.