Four All-Ireland U20 winners start for Tipp against Cork in Munster opener

Tipperary play Cork at Semple Stadium on Wednesday evening while Waterford face Clare in Sixmilebridge in the opening round of the Munster U20 Hurling Championship

Oisín O'Donoghue won All-Ireland U20 and senior titles with Tipperary in 2025. Pic: Ben McShane/Sportsfile

The Tipperary U20 hurling team to face Cork in Wednesday’s Munster round-robin opener contains four starters from the 2025 All-Ireland winning U20 side.

Corner-back Cathal O’Reilly, half-back Adam Ryan, centre-forward Oisín O’Donoghue, and fellow half-forward David Costigan all began last May’s All-Ireland U20 final win over Kilkenny.

Two members of the inside line named for Wednesday’s visit of Cork to Thurles, Cormac Fitzpatrick and Jamie Ormond, were introduced as subs against Kilkenny during the 2025 final victory.

The remaining member of the full-forward line, Stefan Tobin, made his senior Tipp debut off the bench in the county’s league opener against Galway back in January. His first senior start came against Waterford the weekend before last, with Tobin shooting 0-4 from play to mark his full debut. O’Reilly also made his league debut against Galway in late January.

O’Reilly, Tobin and Adam Ryan, as well as Shane Ryan, Tiernan Ryan, David Ryan, and Euan Murray are the seven starters who have graduated from the 2024 All-Ireland minor final winning line-up.

The Waterford team travelling to Sixmilebridge includes seven starters from last year’s All-Ireland minor winning side, meaning almost half the Déise side to take on Clare are only U18.

They are goalkeeper James Comerford, corner-back Darragh Keane, full-back Conor Lynch, half-back Bradley Penkert, midfielder Hugo Quann, half-forward Shane Power, and corner-forward Gearóid O’Shea. The latter was player of the match for St Kieran’ Kilkenny in last week’s Croke Cup final, registering 1-3 in the win over Pres Athenry.

Both Munster Round 1 games throw in at 7pm.

TIPPERARY (Munster U20 v Cork): P McCormack (Moneygall); C O’Reilly (Holycross Ballycahill), E Morris (Holycross Ballycahill), S Ryan (Killenaule); D Ryan (Arravale Rovers), S Rowan (CJ Kickhams Mullinahone), A Ryan (Arravale Rovers); T Ryan (Holycross Ballycahill), S Cleary (Kilruane MacDonaghs); E Murray (Thurles Sarsfields), O O’Donoghue (Cashel King Cormacs), D Costigan (Moycarkey Borris); J Ormond (JK Brackens), S Tobin (Carrick Swans), C Fitzpatrick (Drom Inch).

SUBS: D Hayes (Toomevara), J Donelan Houlihan (Nenagh Éire Óg), E Doughan (Moneygall), J Hackett (Toomevara), S Hall (Golden Kilfeacle), J Hayes (Moycarkey Borris), D O’Hora (Cappawhite), C White (Boherlahan Dualla), P Ryan (Borris-Ileigh).

WATERFORD (Munster U20 v Clare): J Comerford (Ballygunner); D Keane (De La Salle), C Lynch (Geraldines), T Ahern (Ballyduff Upper); B Penkert (Mount Sion), J McDonnell (Tallow), C O’Sullivan (Ballygunner); H Quann (Lismore), P Spelman (Fourmilewater); S Power (De La Salle), P Walsh (Fourmilewater), M Hartley (Ballygunner); G O’Shea (St Molleran’s), S Mackey (Fenor), D Comerford (St Molleran’s).

SUBS: B Murphy (Tallow), P Quann (Dungarvan), O Fives (Ballygunner), F Cooney (Ballygunner), T Kennedy (Mount Sion), J Shanahan (Erin’s Own), T Carey (Passage), C Shankey (Portlaw), E Burke (Dungarvan).