Seán Powter to start first game for Cork in 14 months
Seán Powter will start his first game for the Cork footballers in almost 14 months this weekend.
Powter, named at centre-forward, is one of three changes to the Cork football team for Sunday’s must-win fixture away to Armagh at the Athletic Grounds. The 21-year old tore his hamstring on the opening weekend of the 2018 Allianz league and wound up missing Cork’s entire season. He made his inter-county return when sprung as a second-half substitute during the round four defeat to Meath at the end of February, and has since come off the bench in the games against Tipperary and Donegal.
Goalkeeper Mark White and Powter replace the injured Micheál Martin and Luke Connolly respectively, with Fermoy’s Tomás Clancy coming in for Sam Ryan in the Cork defence. Ian Maguire, though described as a “major doubt” by the Cork management earlier this week, is named at midfield. The Cork captain had to be carried off the field during the closing stages of the county’s 1-19 to 1-12 defeat to Donegal last Saturday.
Cork must take the two points on offer against Armagh, and hope that Tipperary do them a favour by preventing a Clare victory at Semple Stadium, in order to avoid relegation to Division 3.
Elsewhere, a decision has still to be made with regard to the All-Ireland freshers hurling final between Limerick Institute of Technology and the University of Limerick. The game, scheduled for Wednesday of last week, did not go ahead after the teams showed up at different venues.
The game was initially scheduled for Mary Immaculate College Limerick, but after that ground was deemed unsuitable on the Monday before the fixture, LIT won the toss as to which side would host the final. UL, however, showed up at Mary Immaculate College on the day of the game.
Cork (Allianz football league Division 2 v Armagh): M White (Clonakilty); K Flahive (Douglas), T Clancy (Clonakilty), C Dennehy (St Finbarr's); K Crowley (Millstreet), T Clancy (Fermoy), M Taylor (Mallow); I Maguire (St Finbarr's), K O'Hanlon (Kilshannig); E McSweeney (Knocknagree), S Powter (Douglas), R Deane (Bantry Blues); M Hurley (Castlehaven), M Collins (Castlehaven), P Kerrigan (Nemo Rangers).
Subs: C Kelly (Éire Óg), K O'Donovan (Nemo Rangers), S Ryan (St Finbarr's), S Cronin (Nemo Rangers), C Kiely (Ballincollig), S White (Clonakilty), R O'Toole (Éire Óg), K O'Driscoll (Tadhg MacCarthaighs), J O'Rourke (Carbery Rangers), D Gore (Kilmacabea), B Hurley (Castlehaven).
