Pat Ryan names four debutants in Cork team to take on Limerick 

The Rebels host the All-Ireland champions in their league campaign opener on Saturday night.

New Cork manager Pat Ryan has included eight of the team that lost last year’s All-Ireland quarter-final to Galway for Saturday’s Allianz Division 1 Group A clash with Limerick.

Another two, Noel O’Leary and Shane Kingston, are included on the bench as Ryan has named 10 of the side that beat Tipperary in last Sunday week’s Munster Senior Hurling League final.

There are four debutants in the 15 – Conor O’Callaghan (Dromtarriffe), Eoin Downey (Glen Rovers), Brian O’Sullivan (Kanturk) and Cormac Beausang (Midleton).

Facing them, All-Ireland champions Limerick include seven of the side that started last July’s final victory over Kilkenny. Cian Lynch is included among the substitutes along with Graeme Mulcahy. David McCarthy is named in goals having played in both of the pre-season games.

Tipperary are set to give four players their senior debuts for the Division 1, Group B visit of Laois to Thurles on Saturday - Johnny Ryan, Gearoid O'Connor, Cian O'Dwyer and Sean Ryan. Of the team that lost to Cork in Páirc Uí Rinn, eight are announced to start.

CORK (AHL v Limerick): P. Collins; C. O’Callaghan, R. Downey, S. O’Donoghue (c); T. O’Connell, C. Joyce, D. Cahalane; B. O’Sullivan, L. Meade; B. Roche, C. Lehane, C. Beausang; D. Dalton, P. Horgan, R. O’Flynn. Subs: G. Connolly, N. O’Leary, E. Roche, C. O’Brien, C. Cormack, S. Quirke, C. Cahalane, S. Twomey, B. Hayes, S. Barrett, S. Kingston.

LIMERICK (AHL v Cork): D. McCarthy; S. Finn, R. English, A. Costelloe; D. Morrissey, D. Hannon (c), C. Coughlan; D. O’Donovan, B. Murphy; G. Hegarty, D. Reidy, T. Morrissey; A. English, S. Flanagan, O. O’Reilly. Subs: J. Power, C. Barry, R. Connolly, M. Houlihan, C. Lynch, G. Mulcahy, S. O’Brien, A. O’Connor, D. Ó Dalaigh, J. Quilty.

TIPPERARY (AHL v Laois): B. Hogan; C. Barrett, M. Breen, J. Ryan; B. O’Mara, R. Maher, B. McGrath; N. McGrath (c), C. Stakelum; S. Kennedy, G. O’Connor, C. O’Dwyer; J. McGrath, P. Maher, S. Ryan. Subs: R. Shelly, C. Bowe, G. Browne, P. Cadell, J. Campion, P. Campion, J. Forde, E. Heffernan, M. Kehoe, J. Morris, D. McCormack.

LAOIS (AHL v Tipperary): E. Rowland; D. Hartnett, P. Delaney, P. Dunne; J. Kelly, R. Mullaney, F.C. Fennell; A. Corby, T. Keyes; A. Dunphy, W. Dunphy, J. Keyes; S. Maher, P.J. Scully, M. Phelan. Subs: P. Walsh, I. Shanahan, P. Lalor, L. Senior, R. King, P. Purcell, J. Duggan, J. Walsh, D. Delaney, C. Byrne, S. Bergin.