They’ve already passed each other going in opposite directions in the league – Cork being promoted, Waterford being relegated – and they’ve also contrasting fortunes going into Sunday’s Munster hurling championship quarter-final in Thurles.
Because while Cork are reporting a relatively clean bill of health (Eoin Cadogan the only conspicuous absentee), Waterford are now resigned to being without midfielder Shane O’Sullivan, along with the injured Philip Mahony and Maurice Shanahan, while Stephen Molumphy is also unsure about his fitness too.
O’Sullivan had intended to go before the Disputes Resolution Authority (DRA) this week in a final effort to clear the red card picked up in the relegation play-off against Dublin, back on March 30th: instead, that last course of appeal was withdrawn, on legal advice, which means O’Sullivan must miss out.
Speaking about that incident yesterday, Dublin hurler Danny Sutcliffe – who scored a crucial goal that effectively resigned Waterford to relegation – reckoned O’Sullivan had already moved on.
“If it was harsh, there’s nothing you can do about it now,” said Sutcliffe, “but he has a summer ahead of him and I’m sure he’s looking ahead now.”
Sutcliffe has his own worries, a broken bone in his right hand leaving him in a race against time to be fit for Dublin’s hurling championship opener in June 14th, where they will play either Wexford or Laois: the injury was sustained while playing for his club St Judes.
“I’m aiming for that, but I am probably pushing it a bit to be honest. We’ve worked hard to build a panel over the last year or two and whatever 15 are picked they are the best. I’m hoping to get back in contention in the weeks beforehand,” said the 2013 All Star.
Sutcliffe is certain that whoever emerges from Wexford-Laois will be gunning for Dublin, especially given they’ll have played a championship game already. “It happened to us last year, that the games we had helped built momentum,” he said.
Elsewhere, the Galway footballers will be without Paul Conroy for their Connacht championship opener against London in Ruislip on Sunday. Conroy sustained a foot injury at training four weeks ago, but is likely to be back in contention for the semi-final meeting with Sligo on June 7th, should of course Galway advance.
