Tim O'Mahony comes into midfield as Cork hurlers pick team to face Waterford
Cork's Tim O'Mahony against Waterford last season. He started one championship game in 2019 and is now returning to the line-up at midfield. Picture: Eddie O'Hare
CORK have gone for the tried and trusted against Waterford in Saturday's Munster semi-final.
Glen Rovers' Robert Downey is the youngest hurler in the starting 15, and though there are seven changes from the team that lost to Kilkenny in last year's All-Ireland quarter-final, it's full of familiar faces.
The most interesting decisions are Tim O'Mahony getting the number nine jersey and Aidan Walsh being selected as a ball-winner on the wing. Speculation had hinted at Mark Coleman being redeployed from defence to midfield, though he could still switch with O'Mahony come throw-in.
Rookies like Seán O'Leary Hayes, prominent during the league, Billy Hennessy, Daire Connery, Brian Turnbull and Jack O'Connor, in good form in recent challenge games, are on the bench. It's not surprising that returning manager Kieran Kingston and his selectors are backing their experienced hurlers to deliver in this unusual and truncated season.
Colm Spillane and Chris Joyce are back from injury in a defence that also features Damien Cahalane and Downey at centre-back, out go the injured Eoin Cadogan, Niall O'Leary, Stephen McDonnell and Mark Ellis, who isn't in the squad.
O'Mahony is picked at midfield to partner Bill Cooper in Darragh Fitzgibbon's absence with a hamstring problem, while up front Shane Kingston and Walsh are in attack instead of Luke Meade and Daniel Kearney, who stepped away from inter-county hurling for 2020.
Waterford are underdogs, particularly with free-taker Pauric Mahony injured, but won't have any fear of the Rebels at Thurles. Throw-in is 3.30pm, live on Sky Sports Mix which means all Sky subscribers can watch it, not just those with the sports package.
Anthony Nash;
Damien Cahalane, Colm Spillane, Seán O'Donoghue;
Christopher Joyce, Robert Downey, Mark Coleman;
Bill Cooper, Tim O'Mahony;
Seamus Harnedy, Conor Lehane, Aidan Walsh;
Alan Cadogan, Shane Kingston, Patrick Horgan (c).
Patrick Collins, Seán O'Leary Hayes, Niall O'Leary, Billy Hennessy, Chris O'Leary, Stephen McDonnell, Luke Meade, Declan Dalton, Jack O'Connor, Daire Connery, Brian Turnbull.
