One from Clare, Cork, and Tipperary will lose out in race for Munster minor hurling final spot

RACE IS ON: Battle is on for Munster minor hurling final spot. Picture: Howard Crowdy.

Three into two won’t go and so one from Clare, Cork, and Tipperary will lose out on Thursday evening in the race for Munster minor hurling final involvement.

Unbeaten Clare sit in pole position and top of the table, meaning they need only a draw from their trip to SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh to make sure of a Munster final place.

The Banner could still end up in the provincial decider off the back of a first round-robin defeat of the campaign, given their score difference of +19 is currently superior to Cork (+17) and Tipp (+5), both of whom sit two points behind them on the table.

Cork, who have made one change to their team for Clare’s visit by bringing Fionn Lardner in at full-forward for Joe Twohig, will take one of the two final spots if they can score a two-point win.

Victory for Cork and a Tipp win over Limerick in the other Round 5 game on Thursday evening would create a three-way tie at the head of the table on six points, the two final spots would then be decided by score difference.

Should Tipp fall to winless Limerick at Rathkeale (7pm) and Cork lose at home to Clare, Tipperary would finish second on account of having overcome the young Rebels in the opening round.

Whoever misses out on the Munster final will not see the curtain fall on their season. in a change to the structure of this year's All-Ireland MHC, the third and fourth-placed teams in Munster will move on to the All-Ireland preliminary quarter-finals, the Munster runners-up will enter at the All-Ireland quarter-final stage, with the provincial champions coming in at the last four.

Waterford have already nabbed fourth spot in Munster and can’t be caught by Shane Dowling’s Limerick, irrespective of how they fare against Tipp.

CORK: J Goulding (Glen Rovers); CD O’Connor (Millstreet), R O’Riordan (Blackrock), L Kelleher (Douglas); K Beechinor (Éire Óg), C Noonan (Kanturk), J Murphy (Mallow); J O’Brien (Douglas), J Hegarty (Ballinora); L Hennessy (Ballymartle), M O’Brien (Douglas), L Murphy (Barryroe); A Lee (Cloyne), F Lardner (Fermoy), M Brosnan (Glen Rovers).

CLARE: M Crotty (Scariff); D Moroney (Éire Óg Ennis), S McNamara (Clooney-Quin), S Óg Kilkenny (Bodyke); D Kennedy (Ballyea), J Cullinan (Ruan), R Mulcahy (Éire Óg Ennis); G Ball (St Joseph’s Doora Barefield), M Corbett (Clooney-Quin); D McNamara (Clooney-Quin), P Finneran (Clooney-Quin), H Doherty (Clarecastle); C Ralph (Clarecastle), P Rodgers (Scariff), L Murphy (O’Callaghan’s Mills).

TIPPERARY: D English (Fr Sheehys); S Ryan (Killenaule), C O’Reilly (Holycross Ballycahill), P Ryan (Borris-Ileigh); D Ryan (Arravale Rovers), O O’Dwyer (Killenaule), J Donelan Houlihan (Nenagh Éire Óg); T Ryan (Holycross Ballycahill), D O’Hora (Solohead); A Ryan (Arravale Rovers), E Murray (Durlas Óg), B O’Brien (Nenagh Éire Óg); E Doughan (Moneygall), S Tobin (Carrick Swan), C Minogue (Durlas Óg).