Liam MacCarthy favourites Cork have made three changes to their starting XV for Saturday’s All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship semi-final clash with Dublin.

Returning to the starting team are Niall O’Leary at corner-back, Rob Downey at centre-back, and Declan Dalton at wing-forward. Dropping out of the side are Damien Cahalane, Cormac O’Brien, and Séamus Harnedy.

Injury Shuffle Continues

The changes come as little surprise given the ongoing injury management challenges faced by Pat Ryan’s squad. Both O’Leary and team captain Rob Downey had only recently returned from injury when introduced during the thrilling Munster final victory over Limerick — a classic encounter ultimately decided by penalties.

Dalton, who was absent from the match-day squad for that final, is now fully fit and ready to start.

Harnedy & O’Brien Miss Out

During the week, Ryan confirmed that Séamus Harnedy would be ruled out with a hamstring injury, while Cormac O’Brien remained doubtful due to a quad issue. Neither makes the match-day 26, but Damien Cahalane is named among the substitutes.

Bench Boost – Millerick Returns

In better news for Cork fans, Ger Millerick returns to the panel after recovering from a broken finger and is named on the bench.

CORK Team to Face Dublin (SHC Semi-Final)

Cork Starting XV:
P Collins; N O’Leary, E Downey, S O’Donoghue; C Joyce, R Downey, M Coleman; T O’Mahony, D Fitzgibbon; D Healy, S Barrett, D Dalton; P Horgan, A Connolly, B Hayes.

Subs:
B Saunderson, D Cahalane, G Millerick, T O’Connell, E Twomey, L Meade, B Roche, J O’Connor, S Kingston, R O’Flynn, C Lehane.

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Twenty years ago, the Premier County had a famous victory against Galway in Croke Park in the Guinness All-Ireland Senior hurling final. Captain Tommy Dunne lifted the Liam McCarthy in front of a large, loud blue crowd.

The team that lined out that day, more than two decades ago was:

Brendan Cummins; Thomas Costello, Philip Maher, Paul Ormonde; Éamonn Corcoran, David Kennedy, Paul Kelly; Eddie Enright, Tommy Dunne (c); Mark O’Leary, John Carroll, Eoin Kelly; Eugene O’Neill, Declan Ryan, Lar Corbett.

Of that legendary team, it might amaze many to find out that three of those players continue to play hurling for their clubs to this day.

Goalkeeper Brendan Cummins lined out for Ballybacongrange, wing forward Eoin Kelly started for Mullinahone, and corner forward Lar Corbett came on for Thurles Sarsfields.

As we all look forward to next Sundays All-Ireland hurling final, this is a flashback to 20 years ago and 60 years ago when the club was honoured to provide two great Tipperary captains to lift the Liam McCarthy cup, in Tommy Dunne (2001) and Matt Hassett (1961).@NorthTippGAA pic.twitter.com/8hiENCJ9tR

— Toomevara GAA (@ToomeGAA) August 19, 2021

Cummins, who the 2 Johnnies said that “NASA has studied his puck-out range,” played in goals for intermediate side Ballybacon-Grange against Moneygall.

Sadly for him and his team lost the match 1-21 to 2-09 and will now go into the Relegation Playoff semifinal against Arravale Rovers next week. The 46-year-old still continues to be a big part of his club as they fight for survival.

Eoin Kelly had a bit more luck as Mullinahone faced Toomevara in the Senior Championship. He started in corner forward and took most of the team’s frees as they won 2-23 to 1-13.

His nine points at the age of 39 ensured the club’s top place finish in their group. They will now go into next week’s knockout games as top-seeded.

Lastly, Lar Corbett one of Tipperary’s most skillful hurlers that happened to own a famous pub in Thurles. He was part of the squad that lost out to Burgess on Sunday 0-17 to 0-12.

Wearing number 20 he came on in a tough game for Thurles Sarsfield’s Senior ‘B’ team. The 40-year-old managed to score some frees for the side and will continue to play in the Seamus O’Riain Cup as they topped their group.

Tipperary's All Ireland winning class of 2001 are still going strong 20 years later. @TipperaryGAA @NenaghGuardian @mullinahonegaa @thurlessars @BallybaconG @TippFMSport @HurlerD @GAA__JOE pic.twitter.com/fvgDP8oe7h

— Sports Focus Photography (@SportsFocusIe) September 26, 2021

Although these three players have a lot of experience under their belts, they are still setting a standard for Tipperary hurling. With more than six All-Ireland gold medals between them, they surely have enough quality to play a few more years.

“They fire hurleys at him but no one is able to stop Lar Corbett”#ReelingInTheYears #Reet2021 pic.twitter.com/F3KZt5ZwXg

— Hurler on the ditch (@HurlerD) April 11, 2021

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The boss from Portroe has left his manager position along with Eamonn O’Shea, Tommy Dunne, Darragh Egan, and Eoin Kelly. This was his second three-year stint in charge of the Premier county.

He did not leave empty-handed as he won the All Ireland in his first year back with the team in 2019. They beat Kilkenny by a massive 14 points in Croke Park in that final.

The last two years have not been so kind for the county with two quarter-final exits, including a loss to Waterford in the most recent season.

The county board released a statement that confirmed the news:
“Liam leaves the position today having brought great success to the county, guiding a great group of players to All-Ireland success in 2019.

We wish him well in his retirement and we thank him for all he has done for Tipperary GAA and in particular Tipperary hurling.”

Liam Sheedy and his entire Tipperary senior hurling management team have stepped down. pic.twitter.com/dKO5oDRka9

— GAA JOE (@GAA__JOE) August 16, 2021

Sheedy also won an Ireland against Kilkenny in his first stint in charge of the Premier county’s hurling team. He has now made a statement this morning on his retirement.

“I have enjoyed the three years immensely and even though none of us expected or wished for the heartache and disruption that Covid-19 caused, I am well aware that sport, even when it was without attendances, played a big part in lifting people’s spirits in the last 12 months.

“I could not have undertaken this role without the help and support of so many people. I want to sincerely thank my wonderful management and backroom teams. Eamon, Tommy, Darragh and Eoin were excellent in all that they did and their dedication was exemplary. I could not have asked for a better team around me.

“The players I worked with over the last three years are an incredible group. Their ability, attitude and commitment were inspiring. I want to thank them all very much and wish them the very best for the future.”

Next year will be a major transition period for Tipperary hurling as they look for a new manager and new players after the retirement of former captain Brendan Maher.

To read more about Mahers career, read Brendan Maher announces retirement from Tipperary hurling.

Liam Sheedy has stepped away as Tipperary hurling manager. Managed Tipp to All Ireland titles in each stint as manager. Tipp have the honour of winning the All Ireland during every decade. They've 8 seasons left in the 20's to maintain that record. #GAA pic.twitter.com/wbePHYIldZ

— UnOfficialGaa (@UnOfficialGaa) August 16, 2021

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Six sides are represented in this week’s edition of the GAA.ie Team of the Week.

Waterford and Cork lead the way with four selections each after their All-Ireland quarter-final wins over Tipperary and Dublin respectively.

Two Tipperary players make the side after their performances against Waterford but only one Dublin player joins them after the Cork game.

Two Offaly players appear in the side after the county’s fantastic performance against Derry in the Christy Ring Cup final.

The final spot is granted to Mayo after their fantastic Nickey Rackard Cup final victory over Tyrone.

Tipperary’s Cathal Barrett and Ronan Maher are given corner-back spots on the side for their displays against Liam Cahill’s Waterford.

Barrett has excelled to become one of the game’s top man markers and showed his quality in a tough game for the side’s defence by keeping Patrick Curran in his pocket.

Ronan Maher played a more attacking role than his teammate and was wing-back, despite the number on his shirt and his placement in the GAA.ie Team of the Week.

Maher scored 0-3 from play to help the Premier County fight for the win until the final whistle, even after a controversial penalty.

Waterford’s Jamie Barron ran the show for the opposition in Páirc Uí Chaoimh at the weekend to take them beyond Tipperary and, ultimately, save their season after an early exit from the Munster Senior Hurling Championship.

The midfielder dictated play when his side was in possession and added 0-4 of his own from long range.

His tenacity and never-say-die attitude off-the-ball was integral to Waterford’s impressive victory too.

Offaly’s Oisin Kelly as the sole representative from the Christy Ring Cup as his performance helped his county to their first third-tier hurling title and promotion to the 2022 Joe McDonagh Cup.

Oisin Kelly’s seven points and presence in the forward lines was devastating to the Derry defence, who failed to keep him locked up.

His performance secured second-tier hurling for his side, which looks nice alongside their Division One status.

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CLICK HERE FOR LIVE SCORES ON WATERFORD v GALWAY HURLING

The match will throw in at 14:00 on Saturday, 24^th July in the Semple Stadium, Tipperary. Sky Sport Arena will also be televising the match for those who are stuck at home.

Waterford reached this point after losing to a Tony Kelly inspired Clare, they since narrowly knocked out Laois in round one to put them back on form.

Other the other side of the coin, Galway found themselves in the qualifiers after being stunned in a four-point defeat to Dublin.

This match could prove to be a battle between two current county legends, Austin Gleeson and Joe Canning. It will be interesting to see who has the greater attacking threat for their side and who can be nullified.

These two last faced each other in the Hurling League in early June. Galway won the tie scoring 4-28 to Waterford’s 3-23; let’s hope this game is just as exciting.

That moment today @JoeyCan88 scored from the sideline . #Magic #GalvWat #GAA #GalwayvWaterford pic.twitter.com/rZ7bbidc17

— Jack Murray (@mediamurray) September 3, 2017

Starting 15

Waterford
 Shaun O’Brien; Conor Gleeson, Conor Prunty, Ian Kenny; Calum Lyons, Shane Bennett, Kieran Bennett; Jamie Barron, Peter Hogan; Jack Fagan, Jack Prendergast, Stephen Bennett; Dessie Hutchinson, Austin Gleeson, Patrick Curran.

Subs: Billy Nolan, Shane McNulty, Darragh Lyons, Billy Power, Shane Fives, Michael Kiely, Neil Montgomery, Jake Dillon, Colin Dunford, Kevin Moran, Mikey Kearney

Galway

Darach Fahy; Shane Cooney, Gearoid McInerney, Darren Morrissey; Padraic Mannion, Daithi Burke, Aidan Harte; Sean Loftus, Cathal Mannion; Joseph Cooney, Conor Whelan, Conor Cooney; Sean Linnane, Joe Canning, Brian Concannon.

Subs: Mark Fahy, Jack Fitzpatrick, TJ Brennan, Adrian Tuohy, Fintan Burke, David Burke, Johnny Coen, Niall Burke, Evan Niland, Jason Flynn, Kevin Cooney.

That was too close for comfort for #Waterford vs #Laois, a fresh addition to the list of major hurling counties @CharlieFlanagan. That was one of the closest 5-point game I’ve ever watched. pic.twitter.com/EgJS5nYwUK

— Daniel Mulhall (@DanMulhall) July 17, 2021

Betting

Galway are the bookies’ favourites with odds of 4/9.

A draw has odds of 10/1.

Waterford are still given a good chance by the bookmakers with odds of 2/1 to win.

Predicted Score

After their shock in the Leinster championship, expect Galway to come out and prove a point. They won’t be as lazy and lack lustre, they will want to win.

This still young Waterford side has shown their quality but it will be hard to see them dealing with the Tribesmen firing on all cylinders.

Expect to see Galway having the cutting edge to win this game by three or more scores.

HURLING: @Galway_GAA will take on @WaterfordGAA this Saturday at Semple Stadium in Round 2 of the All-Ireland hurling championship qualifiers.

Throw-in at Thurles is 2pm.

Clare face Cork in the other game at 4.30pm in the LIT Gaelic Grounds. #gbfmsports pic.twitter.com/hSltA8mfRR

— Galway Bay FM Sport (@gbfmsports) July 19, 2021

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CLICK HERE FOR LIVE SCORES ON CLARE V CORK

This match will throw in at 16:30 in the LIT Gaelic Grounds, Limerick. The match will also be televised by Sky Sports for anyone without a ticket.

Clare was relegated to the qualifiers after a contentious game against Tipperary in the Munster championship. The Banner since beat Wexford by three points last weekend.

Other than the obvious choice of Tony Kelly, young corner forward Mark Rodgers was a bright spark when he came on in the last two games. Hopefully he can improve on those performances against Cork.

On the other hand, Cork were one of many teams to be taught a lesson by reigning champions, Limerick in Munster. Cork did not play badly in the game but could not match Limerick’s quality across the field.

Corner forward, Shane Kingston managed to score 1-01 in that loss so he will be a major part of Cork’s attack in the remainder of the championship.

These two nearby counties last faced each other in the league in May. Cork won that game in a close 0-22 to 1-18, expect this game to also go down to the wire.

Clare’s All-Ireland Rd2 Qualifier v Cork takes place in the LIT Gaelic Grounds in Limerick on Saturday at 4.30pm.
The support from the stands provided a huge boost to the players last Saturday so make sure to back the Banner again. Contact your club secretary for tickets ASAP pic.twitter.com/I1eC8Z0Rbo

— CLUB CLARE (@ClubClareHS) July 19, 2021

Predicted Starting 15

Clare

E. Quilligan; R. Hayes, C. Cleary, P. Flanagan; D. Ryan, J. Conlon, P. Fitzpatrick; C. Galvin, C. Malone; A. McCarthy, D. Reidy, R. Taylor; A. Shanagher, T. Kelly, M. Rodgers.

Cork

P. Collins; S. O’Donoghue, D. Cahalane, N. O’Leary; E. Cadogan, M. Coleman, T. O’Mahony; D. Fitzgibbon, G. Millerick; C. Cahalane, S. Harnedy, R. O’Flynn; S. Kingston, P. Horgan, J. O’Connor.

Betting

Cork is the bookmakers’ favourites to win with odds of 5/6.

A draw has odds of 9/1.

Clare are very narrowly underdogs with odds of 6/5 to win.

Score Prediction

Either way this game goes, it is going to be a very close affair. Both teams seem evenly matched in every position.

But Clare have fuelled themselves with confidence after beating Wexford and this may spur them on to victory. Expect them to beat Cork by less than three points.

Watch the Half-Time Highlights of @GaaClare v @OfficialWexGAA in the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Qualifier Round 1 here!
Half-Time Score:
Clare: 1-15
Wexford: 1-10#GAANOW pic.twitter.com/oexJjz5m84

— The GAA (@officialgaa) July 17, 2021

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Following the hurling action at the weekend, the draw was made, which saw Kilkenny and Limerick win the Leinster and Munster provincial titles respectively.

All sides involved in the draw were knocked out of their provincial championships at the quarter-final and semi-final stages.

The draw took place on RTÉ Radio 1’s Morning Ireland.

Two of the sides were in action at the weekend in the first round of the qualifiers, with Cork and Galway starting their journey through the backdoor in round two after losses to eventual Munster champions Limerick and Dublin – the pair were awarded a bye for round one.

Brian Lohan’s Clare progressed to the second round after beating Wexford in a match-up against rival Bainisteoir Davy Fitzgerald at Semple Stadium.

Clare’s squad showed their worth and the Banner had another game in recent history that did not showcase an overreliance on the Championship’s top scorer Tony Kelly.

Cathal Malone, David Reidy, Ryan Taylor and Aidan McCarthy all chipped in with scores throughout the game and Clare’s bench also provided 1-02 for the side.

They will face a Cork side who have been inconsistent in 2021, and with five wins from their last six games, Brian Lohan’s men will be confident of progression.

Waterford earned a date with Galway and a repeat of the 2017 All-Ireland final after a five-point win over preliminary round winners Laois.

Waterford’s fortunes have been up-and-down this season with Liam Cahill and his players struggling to get the side back into the vein of form that saw them reach the All-Ireland final last year.

Galway will play their first game after a shock loss to Mattie Kenny’s Dublin hurlers and will want to bounce back from their defeat.

The Déise will have to be on their A-game to earn a date in the All-Ireland quarter-finals with either Dublin or Tipperary.

All-Ireland Hurling Qualifiers Round Two

Clare v Cork 4:30pm Gaelic Grounds – Sky Sports

Waterford v Galway 2pm – Semple Stadium – Sky Sports

The post All-Ireland Hurling Qualifiers Round 2 Draw – Venues, Start Times, and TV Coverage appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

The Munster SHC climax will be held in Páirc Uí Chaoimh and 7,000 spectators will be allowed to attend.

But how can you become one of the 7,000 to watch either Tipperary or Limerick lift the Mick Mackey Cup this weekend?

Tipperary will receive an allocation of 2,500 with 2,000 of these Stand at €40 each and 500 Terrace at €25 each.

The Tipperary County Board will give an allocation of tickets to every club in the county based on a points system that credits clubs with members fully registered in Croke Park.

Club members who wish to enter a draw for a Munster Final ticket, please text your name to our club secretary on 087-9307858 before 5pm on Thursday. pic.twitter.com/Nkk0aZzFUR

— @caherlinegaa (@caherlinegaa) July 14, 2021

Clubs in Tipperary will receive Stand tickets for this weekend’s showdown.

It is understood that the Limerick County Board will follow a similar model and allocate tickets to each club in the county.

Caherline GAA in Limerick will give their tickets to members via a draw.

There will be no public sale of Munster SHC final tickets unless clubs fail to sell their allocation of tickets.

The post Munster Hurling: How To Get Tickets appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

CLICK HERE FOR LIVE SCORE COMMENTARY ON LAOIS V WATERFORD

Laois and Waterford will go head to head in Round 1 of the All-Ireland Championship Qualifiers at the UMPC Nowlan Park in Kilkenny in the second championship Qualifier live on GAAGO.

Waterford had a successful league campaign, finishing second from Division 1 Group A, only behind Galway.

Their opponents, Laois endured a drastically different league run compared to Waterford, finishing bottom on their Division 1 Group B, playing 5 and losing 5. Having a points difference of -54 in the process.

In the two sides last game, Laois were played off the park in the Leinster quarter-final loss to Wexford, losing 5-31 to 1-23 in a 20-point margin.

Waterford on the other hand, came up just short against Clare in the Munster quarter-final tie, losing 1-22 to 0-21 in a 4 point winning margin.

The winner of this game will end up facing Galway in round 2 of the qualifiers on the 24th of July.

Conclusion

Coming into this game, there is only one team I consider favourites to progress further in the championship and that is Waterford.

Not a bad team by any stretch of the imagination, but they will be facing a rather poor Laois side, who were awful during the league and looked out of their depth against Wexford.

Losing against Clare by 4 points is not an embarrassment, and they should make a statement by dismantling Laois by some margin.

They will then go on to face off against Galway, who before their shock loss to Dublin, were favourites for the Leinster title.

Prediction: Waterford by 12 points

Predicted Teams – Subject to Change

Laois

1. Enda Rowland
2. Lee Cleere
3. Sean Downey
4. Donnchadha Hartnett
5. Stephen Maher
6. Ciaran McEvoy
7. Ryan Mullaney
8. Fiachra C Fennell
9. Jack Kelly
10. Paddy Purcell
11. Charles Dwyer
12. Ciaran Collier
13. PJ Sculley
14. Willie Dunphy
15. Ross King

Waterford

1. Billy Nolan
2. Shane Fives
3. Conor Gleeson
4. Shane McNulty
5. Calum Lyons
6. Iarlaith Daly
7. Kevin Moran
8. Austin Glesson
9. Darragh Lyons
10. Peter Hogan
11. Jack Fagan
12. Stephen Bennett
13. Dessie Hutchinson
14. Shane Bennett
15. Jack Prendergast

Betting

Laois: 14/1

Waterford: 1/50

Draw: 33/1

The post Hurling – Laois v Waterford – Starting News, Live Scores, Betting &; TV Coverage appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

CLICK HERE FOR LIVE SCORES KILKENNY V WEXFORD
This tie could be full of surprises with both teams seeming unpredictable in recent seasons, only one can reach the Leinster final.

Kilkenny had a decent season in the league, winning four games and only losing to Clare on the last day. They always seemed to be part of exciting high-scoring matches with their forwards always in full force.

Wexford also had a very nice league campaign, finishing second behind the Cats. They finished strong with a comfortable victory against Dublin.

They last faced each other in the league at the end of May, Kilkenny came out victors on that day with a scoreline of Kilkenny 2-27 Wexford 0-23.

It is no secret that this Kilkenny team relies heavily on scoring frees, but they do have the countries best free-taker in TJ Reid. The 33-year-old always the difference if the Cats can win or lose a game and expect no different on Saturday

In corner-forward, Wexford has a strong contender for All-Star again this year. Lee Chin is the main man for them and is normally involved in most of the team’s important scores.

Our Senior Hurlers will face @KilkennyCLG in the @gaaleinster Senior Hurling Semi Final this Saturday afternoon at Croke Park. Throw in 4.30pm

The game will be shown live on @SkySportsGAA

Ticket details tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/Xlmxb20AHA

— Wexford GAA (@OfficialWexGAA) June 28, 2021

Predicted teams

Kilkenny

E Murphy (GK); T Walsh, H Lawlor, P Deegan, D Corcoran, P Walsh, C Browne, R Reid, R Leahy, A Mullen, W Walsh, B Ryan, J Bergin, TJ Reid, E Cody.

Wexford

Mark Fanning (GK); S Reck, L Ryan, C Flood; J O’Connor, G Bailey, S Murphy; D O’Keefe, L McGovern; R O’Connor, C McDonald, P Morris; L Chin, J O’Connor, K Foley.

Betting

Bookies expect a close game with Kilkenny having odds to win at 4/9.

A draw in this fixture would give a big payout with odds of 10/1.

Wexford are not favorites but are close with odds of 2/1 to win.

Prediction

No matter what side wins this match, it will be close until the end. Kilkenny’s main problem is that they rely too heavily on TJ Reid.

Wexford can target him and try nullifying his threat. If they can succeed, then Wexford will have the advantage in this game.

Unbelievable game tonight and fair play to @WaterfordGAA, a fantastic performance and a well deserved win.
In defeat this man was nothing short of incredible @_tjreid
One of the all time great performances in @CrokePark #waterford #kilkenny #gaa #hurling #hurlingchampionship pic.twitter.com/9qQJoMDHPG

— The Hurling Podcast (@hurlingpodcast) November 29, 2020

A Twitter List by IrishScoresGAA

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