Blarney dynamo Barrett captains the Cork minor hurlers in provincial opener

THE Cork minor hurling team to face Clare in the opening round of the Munster championship on Sunday at 2pm in Páirc Uí Chaoimh features two members of last season’s All-Ireland winning U17 team.

Wing-back Cormac O’Brien from Newtownshandrum and centre-forward Shane Barrett from Blarney will be key figures on the team for the first game in the new-look championship which is being run along similar lines to the senior competition with each county playing four games in a round-robin series.

Cork will have two home games against Clare and Limerick and two away against Tipperary and Waterford and the top two teams will play in the Munster final.

Last season’s county minor champions, Glen Rovers have three representatives on the starting Cork 15 for Sunday, goalkeeper Cian Long, centre-back Luke Horgan and corner-forward Evan Murphy, who was Man of the Match in the 2017 minor final.

Cillian O’Donovan from Douglas, who was a key member of the CBC team that lost out narrowly to Árd Scoil Rís in the semi-final of the Harty Cup, is at number seven.

The centre-field partnership comprises of the towering Ballincollig midfielder Paul Cooney with Olan Broderick from Killeagh, who featured for Midleton CBS in the Harty Cup final loss to the Limerick school. The Rebels have decent firepower with Kevin Moynihan from Na Piarsaigh and Dan Hogan (Sars) highly-rated forwards.

Ten clubs from across the city and county are represented on the starting 15 with Sarsfields and Blarney having two apiece. Included on the substitutes is Jack Cahalane from the Barrs, a brother of senior star Damien and U21 panellist Conor. The team is managed by former senior star John Considine from Sars, and his selectors are Donal Burke Castlemartyr, Seán Crowley, Killeagh, Donie Collins, Blackrock and Niall O’Halloran, Ballinhassig.

The All-Ireland series will now feature the Leinster and Munster winners advancing to the semi-final stage, with another round-robin series to produce two more All-Ireland semi-finalists. The three participating teams will be Galway and the defeated Munster and Leinster finalists.

The situation is in contrast to the minor football where Cork were knocked out at the Munster semi-final stage in a one-point loss to Kerry, having hammered Waterford in the opening round.

CORK (Minor v Clare): C Long (Glen Rovers); C Murphy (Midleton), P Cullinane (Ballinascarthy), C O’Donovan (Sars); C O’Brien (Newtown), L Horgan (Glen), C O’Donovan (Douglas); O Broderick (Killeagh), P Cooney (Ballincollig); K Moynihan (Na Piarsaigh), S Barrett (Blarney), D Hogan (Sars); P Power (Blarney), P O’Flynn (Bride Rovers), E Murphy (Glen Rovers).

Substitutes: J McGann (Dungourney), N O’Riordan (Mallow), R McCarthy (Killeagh), C McCarthy (Oliver Plunkett’s), C Hickey (Lisgoold), D Flynn (Ballygiblin), A Mulcahy (Midleton), A Connolly (Blackrock), J Cahalane (Barrs).