Galway v Cork: Eoin Roche and Cathal Cormack set for league debuts as hurlers makes four changes

Eoin Roche and Cathal Cormack will make their Allianz Hurling League debuts for Cork as part of four changes for Sunday’s trip to Pearse Stadium to face Galway (2pm).

Bride Rovers’ Roche comes into the full-back line as the replacement for team captain Seán O’Donoghue, who was forced off in last Saturday night’s win over Limerick with a dead leg, while Blackrock player Cormack takes the number 5 jersey as an indirect replacement for Brian O’Sullivan.

Roche joins Eoin Downey and Conor O’Callaghan in front of goalkeeper Patrick, with Ciarán Joyce and Damien Cahalane retaining their places in the half-back line. Tommy O’Connell, who started at right half-back against Limerick, moves into midfield and partners Roche’s twin brother Brian, who was selected at right half-forward last week.

Luke Meade drops to the substitutes’ bench while the attack is reshuffled from the opening game – Declan Dalton moves from the full-forward line to right half-forward, alongside Conor Lehane, who captains the team in O’Donoghue’s absence, and Seán Twomey of Courcey Rovers.

In the inside line, Cormac Beausang is picked at corner-forward after playing at number 12 last week and Patrick Horgan remains at full-forward after a 10-point showing against Limerick. The match-winner on that occasion, Shane Kingston, was a sub as he returned from a hamstring injury and he is the man who comes in to replace Robbie O’Flynn, who will be out for a six-to-eight-week period with damaged ankle ligaments.

Cork selector Wayne Sherlock is pleased that good performances to date have ensured that the management team have a challenging job in picking a team.

“From day one, I suppose we just wanted to get the work ethic up,” he says.

“We’re not there yet and we can work harder, but all we want is honest effort. If you get that, with nobody hiding, I think you’ll do well and we’re probably more there than we expected to be.

“It’s hard work, it’s not easy but it’ll be rewarded and the players know that that’s what we’re demanding.

If fellas work hard, it’ll make our jobs a lot harder to pick a panel, which is exactly what we want.”

Galway were also victorious in the opening game, winning away to Wexford in a match that also doubled up as the Walsh Cup final. Cork’s last win in Salthill came in the 2016 relegation play-off, though the counties didn’t meet again in the league until 2020, when the Tribesmen enjoyed a home win. 

The last two league meetings have been in Páirc Uí Chaoimh, with Galway winning in 2021 after a late fightback while Cork were triumphant last year.

CORK (Allianz HL v Galway): 

P Collins (Ballinhassig); 

C O’Callaghan (Dromtarriffe), E Downey (Glen Rovers), E Roche (Bride Rovers); 

C Cormack (Blackrock), C Joyce (Castlemartyr), D Cahalane (St Finbarr’s); 

B Roche (Bride Rovers), T O’Connell (Midleton); 

D Dalton (Fr O’Neills), C Lehane (Midleton, c), S Twomey (Courcey Rovers); 

C Beausang (Midleton), P Horgan (Glen Rovers), S Kingston (Douglas).

Subs: G Collins (Ballinhassig), N O’Leary (Castlelyons), S O’Leary Hayes (Midleton), C O’Brien (Newtownshandrum), B O’Sullivan (Kanturk), S Quirke (Midleton), C Cahalane (St Finbarr’s), S Barrett (Blarney), L Meade (Newcestown), C Walsh (Kanturk), B Hayes (St Finbarr’s).