Cork side facing All-Ireland champs Tipperary contains a number championship newbies
A third of the Cork side for tomorrow’s Munster SHC quarter-final with All-Ireland champions Tipperary (4pm) will be making their first championship starts.
Corner-back Colm Spillane, wing-back Mark Coleman, midfielder Darragh Fitzgibbon, wing-forward Shane Kingston and corner-forward Luke Meade are all making their full debuts, with Kingston and Coleman having come off the bench in the All-Ireland qualifier defeat to Wexford last July.
In total, nine of the Rebel side which started the 0-22 to 0-13 loss to Tipp a year ago are selected, with 14 of the Tipp team from that day – John O’Keeffe is the only one who didn’t start that day.
O’Keeffe is also one of two changes from last year’s All-Ireland final, with wing-forward Seán Curran. Patrick Maher isn’t fit enough to start while Michael Cahill has a hamstring injury.
CORK (SH v Tipperary): A Nash (Kanturk); S McDonnell (Glen Rovers), D Cahalane (St Finbarr’s), C Spillane (Castlelyons); C Joyce (Na Piarsaigh), M Ellis (Millstreet), M Coleman (Blarney); B Cooper (Youghal), D Fitzgibbon (Charleville); S Harnedy (St Ita’s), C Lehane (Midleton), S Kingston (Douglas); A Cadogan (Douglas), P Horgan (Glen Rovers), L Meade (Newcestown). Subs: P Collins (Ballinhassig), C O’Sullivan (Sarsfields), K Burke (Midleton), L McLoughlin (Kanturk), C O’Leary (Valley Rovers), B Lawton (Castlemartyr), D Brosnan (Glen Rovers), L O’Farrell (Midleton), M Cahalane (Bandon), M O’Halloran (Blackrock), C Murphy (Mallow).
TIPPERARY (SH v Cork): D Gleeson (Portroe); C Barrett (Holycross-Ballycahill), J Barry (Upperchurch-Drombane), J O’Keeffe (Clonoulty-Rossmore); S Kennedy (St Mary’s), R Maher (Thurles Sarsfields), Pádraic Maher (Thurles Sarsfields); B Maher (Borris-Ileigh), M Breen (Ballina); D McCormack (Borris-Ileigh), S Curran (Mullinahone), N McGrath (Loughmore-Castleiney); J O’Dwyer (Killenaule), S Callanan (Drom & Inch), J McGrath (Loughmore-Castleiney).
