Pat Ryan makes three changes to Cork team for All-Ireland SHC semi-final against Dublin

OFF TO CROKER: Pat Ryan has made three changes to his Cork team for their All-Ireland senior hurling semi-final showdown with Dublin Pic: Ray McManus/Sportsfile

Pat Ryan has made three changes to his Cork team for their All-Ireland senior hurling semi-final showdown with Dublin at Croke Park on Saturday evening.

By the time the Rebels run out at the GAA’s HQ, it will be four weeks since their last outing and their dramatic penalty shoot-out victory over Limerick in the Munster final.

And while the time off has given a number of players the opportunity to recover ahead of the last four clash in the capital (throw-in is at 5pm) they have also suffered a couple of injury blows.

As reported earlier in the week, Séamus Harnedy misses out with a hamstring injury and he has been replaced in the half-forward line by Declan Dalton while captain Robert Downey replaces Cormac O’Brien in the half-back line and Niall O’Leary comes in for Damien Cahalane at right corner-back.

Cahalane drops to the substitutes bench where he will be joined by Shane Kingston and Conor Lehane, both of whom impressed from the bench against Limerick, but Harnedy and O’Brien have failed to make the 26-man squad. Ger Millerick has also recovered in time to make the panel.

The Rebels are hoping to reach back-to-back All-Ireland hurling finals and move one step closer to landing the Liam MacCarthy Cup for the first time in 20 years.

But standing in their way is a Dublin side that will be buoyed by their memorable victory over Limerick in the quarter-finals two weeks earlier. They have yet to name their starting 15.

CORK (v Dublin): P Collins; N O’Leary, E Downey, S O’Donoghue; C Joyce, R Downey (c), M Coleman; T O’Mahony, D Fitzgibbon; D Healy, S Barrett, D Dalton; P Horgan, A Connolly, B Hayes.

Subs: B Saunderson, D Cahalane, G Millerick, T O’Connell, E Twomey, L Meade, B Roche, J O’Connor, S Kingston, R O’Flynn, C Lehane.

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