Beaten All-Ireland finalists Cork have announced an impressive line-up for tomorrow evening's Allianz Hurling League division 1B clash with Limerick at Páirc uí Rinn - with manager Jimmy Barry-Murphy including 10 players that started the replay defeat to Clare last September.
There is one interesting senior hurling debut for dual player Aidan Walsh, although fellow dual player Eoin Cadogan is named on the bench. Mark Ellis, Rob O’Shea, Kilian Murphy and Stephen White also get starting positions, while the likes of Conor O’Sullivan, Seamus Harnedy and captain Patrick Cronin were ruled out through injury.
The Tipperary team to face Waterford in the Division 1A clashin Semple Stadium tomorrow evening features just one league debutant in right corner back Cathal Barrett from the Holycross-Ballycahill club. The team is captained by midfielder Brendan Maher, with seven changes from he team which captured Waterford Crystal Cup honours last weekend.
Paul Curran and John O’Brien have not been included in Tipperary manager Eamon O’Shea’s 26-man panel for the National Hurling League. Curran and O’Brien, who were both members of the 2010 All-Ireland winning team, are not involved for now but other experienced stars such as Eoin Kelly and Lar Corbett have been named.
It is understood that Curran may require surgery on a hip problem while O’Brien has not featured in pre-season matches or during the Waterford Crystal Cup.
Premier County spokesman Ed Donnelly denied that either player has retired and he insisted last night that the door remains open. Pa Bourke, Brian O’Meara and Donagh Maher are other well-known names from the 2013 group that have been excluded on this occasion.
The already derided Interprovincial series has taken another blow ahead of this Sunday's football semi-finals with the confirmation players from Clare, Tipperary, Waterford and Limerick are boycotting the competition – meaning the Munster team to face Connacht will only consist of players from Kerry and Cork.
The reasoning behind these four counties boycotting the competition goes back to last year’s decision of the Munster Council to reseed the football championship, effectively keeping Kerry and Cork apart until the final – instead of adhering to the open draw.
Clare, Tipperary, Waterford and Limerick already boycotted the McGrath Cup in January, and while it was Limerick players who initially called for a boycott of the series, without pressurising the other three counties to follow suit, objection to the reseeded format remains significant for all four counties to withdraw the services of their players.
That means Munster manager Ger O’Sullivan, the former Cork selector who is assisted by former Kerry selector Ger O’Keeffe, had a slightly easier job of selecting players from within those two counties only – with 13 of the 24-man panel from Kerry, and the remaining 11 from Cork. The game is set for Tuam Stadium on Sunday at 2pm.
No such selection limitations for Ulster manager Joe Kernan ahead of their meeting with Leinster at Páirc Tailteann, Navan, also set for Sunday at 2pm: seven counties are represented in Kernan's panel, with Tyrone boasting seven players and Donegal five, the only surprise being Kernan hasn't called on players from his native Armagh, nor is there representation from Antrim.
CORK (SH v Limerick); Anthony Nash; Shane O'Neill, Stephen Mc Donnell, Kilian Murphy; Stephen White, Christopher Joyce, Mark Ellis; Daniel Kearney, Lorcan McLoughlin; Conor Lehane, Cian McCarthy, Rob O'Shea; Patrick Horgan, Aidan Walsh, Stephen Moylan.
TIPPERARY (SH v Waterford): Darren Gleeson; Cathal Barrett, Conor O'Mahony, Michael Cahill; Shane McGrath, Padraic Maher, Conor O'Brien; Brendan Maher (Captain), James Woodlock; Seamus Callanan, Noel McGrath, Kieran Bergin; Jason Forde, Paddy Murphy, John O'Dwyer.
MUNSTER (SF panel v Connacht): M Collins, R Deane, D Goulding, B Hurley, P Kerrigan, J Loughrey, J McLoughlin, D O'Connor, B O'Driscoll, K O'Halloran, J O'Rourke (all Cork); P Crowley, S Enright, M Geaney, M Griffin, B Kealy, B J Keane, J Lyne, A Maher, B McGuire, D Moran, A O'Mahony, M Ó Sé, D Walsh (all Kerry).
ULSTER (SF panel v Leinster): D Givney, E Keating, R Dunne, C Mackey (all Cavan); C McKaigue, J Kielt, S Leo McGoldrick (all Derry); N McGee, E McGee, K Lacey, M McHugh, M Murphy (all Donegal); M Poland, K McKernan (Down); R McCluskey, E Donnelly, R Jones (Fermanagh); R Beggan, C Walshe, C McManus, K Hughes (Monaghan); P Harte, S Cavanagh, N Morgan, C Clarke, C Cavanagh, M Donnelly, D McCurry (all Tyrone).
