Cork name unchanged team for Limerick fight as Rushe returns to Dublin fold for Leinster final

Ben O'Connor sticks with the same team for the Munster final on Sunday. Picture: Tom Beary/Sportsfile

Cork have made no changes from the side that began last Sunday week’s win over Clare for this weekend’s Munster SHC final.

Injured pair Ciarán Joyce and Darragh Fitzgibbon are the two players absent from the side that defeated Limerick in SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh in April.

Declan Dalton, who was part of the panel for the Clare game, is not available for selection having picked up an injury at training on Tuesday.

Of the team that began last year’s Munster final win over Limerick, there are five missing – the aforementioned injured pair, Cormac O’Brien, Seamus Harnedy and retired Patrick Horgan. O’Brien and Harnedy are among the substitutes on Sunday.

Dublin have named three changes from the side that commenced the recent win over Kilkenny for Saturday’s Leinster SHC final against Galway in Croke Park.

Liam Rushe is announced to start having been a late withdrawal before the previous game. Eoghan O’Donnell is also in as is Darragh Power. Out go John Bellew, Conor McHugh and David Purcell.

From the team that beat Galway in Salthill last month, there are four personnel switches – McDonnell, Rushe and Hetherton for McHugh, Purcell and Conor Groarke.

Meanwhile, Henry Shefflin is considered the firm favourite to replace Derek Lyng as Kilkenny senior hurling manager.

The game’s most decorated player is currently at the helm of the county’s U20 side having been in charge of Galway for three seasons between 2022 and ’24.

Shefflin, 47, has also guided his club Ballyhale Shamrocks to successive All-Ireland senior championships in 2019 and ’20 and returned to the helm last season to bring them to a third county title.

No decision is expected in the short term although Kilkenny GAA’s management committee met on Thursday evening where they discussed all three of their representative teams exiting their championships last month.

Elsewhere, Matthew Thompson could be part of Galway’s plans for their All-Ireland SFC Round 2A clash with Westmeath on Sunday week.

The 2025 All-Star and young footballer of the year nominee injured his ankle during his studies in the US and has missed the entire regular season so far this year. However, he has returned to training and could be in the shake-up for the derby in Pearse Stadium.

Finally, Bobby McCaul has torn his anterior cruciate ligament, Monaghan manager Gabriel Bannigan has confirmed.

The Aughnamullen man, a club-mate of Bannigan’s, scored 1-1 coming off the bench the defeat to Mayo in Clones on Sunday.

It had been feared he suffered the same injury he picked up in last year’s Ulster U20 championship. McCaul had to be stretchered off.

CORK (SHC v Limerick): P. Collins; N. O’Leary, D. Cahalane, S. O’Donoghue; E. Downey, R. Downey, M. Coleman (c); T. O’Mahony, T. O’Connell; B. Walsh, S. Barrett, D. Healy; A. Connolly, B. Hayes. W. Buckley. Subs: P. O’Sullivan, G. Millerick, E. Roche, C. O’Brien, M. Mullins, H. O’Connor, B. Roche, A. Walsh, S. Kingston, S. Harnedy, P. Power.

DUBLIN (SHC v Galway): E. Gibbons; P. Doyle, P. Smyth, E. O’Donnell; C. Crummey (c), L. Rushe, C. Burke; B. Hayes, C. Donohoe; F. Whitely, D. Burke, D. Power; C. O’Sullivan, J. Hetherton, C. Ó Riain. Subs: S. Brennan, D. Lucey, R. Hayes, C. Groarke, C. McHugh, J. Bellew, D. Ó Dúlaing, S. Currie, A. Dunphy, D. Purcell, B. Kenny.

LAOIS (SHC v Carlow): E. Reilly; I. Shanahan, L. Cleere, C. Comerford; F.C. Fennell, P. Delaney, R. Mullaney; D. Dooley (c), A. Corby; M. Phelan, S, Maher, A. Dunphy; B. Conroy, Cillian Dunne, T. Keyes. Subs: Cathal Dunne, P. Dunne, D. Conway, C. McEvoy, E. Gaughan, F. Mahony, G. Lynch, J. Keyes, J. Kelly, F. Holland, M. Dowling.