Three debutants named in Cork hurling team to meet Limerick

The selection at midfield of Fr O’Neill’s clubman Ger Millerick is a surprise call by Kieran Kingston

Ger Millerick was at half-back for Cork's round 4 League defeat away to Limerick. Photo by Ray McManus/Sportsfile

Cork hurling manager Kieran Kingston has handed championship debuts to Patrick Collins, Ger Millerick, and Conor Cahalane for Saturday evening’s Munster semi-final against Limerick.

Goalkeeper Collins and half-forward Conor Cahalane were first-team regulars throughout the League and so their inclusion comes as no surprise, whereas the selection at midfield of Fr O’Neill’s clubman Ger Millerick can be filed under the heading: unexpected.

Millerick, who featured in the 2018 and 2019 All-Ireland U21 and U20 final defeats, started two of Cork’s five League outings in recent weeks, but didn't operate at midfield in either. He was at half-back for the round 4 defeat away to Limerick and corner-back for the following week’s visit of Galway to Páirc Uí Chaoimh. Millerick had no involvement in the opening three rounds.

The Cork team shows nine players who started last November’s qualifier defeat to Tipperary. The sextet coming into the starting line-up are Eoin Cadogan, Darragh Fitzgibbon, Niall O’Leary, and the aforementioned trio of debutants.

Colm Spillane, who missed the League because of injury, is not included in the matchday panel.

Cork (Munster SHC semi-final v Limerick): P Collins; N O’Leary, D Cahalane, S O’Donoghue; T O’Mahony, M Coleman, E Cadogan; D Fitzgibbon, G Millerick; C Cahalane, S Harnedy, R O’Flynn; S Kingston, P Horgan, J O’Connor.

Subs: G Collins, S O’Leary Hayes, R Downey, N Cashman, B Hennessy, L Meade, B Cooper, D Dalton, A Cadogan, A Connolly, S Barrett.