Cork v Kilkenny: Hurlers reveal starting 15 for league semi-final at Nowlan Park
Shane Kingston is Cork's top-scorer in the league. Picture: INPHO/Evan Treacy
THE Cork selectors have picked the strongest available team for the league semi-final away to Kilkenny.
It's still very much a new-look side, with Eoin Downey, Tommy O'Connell, Brian Roche, Ethan Twomey and Pádraig Power in the first 15, though Tim O'Mahony and Patrick Horgan are back among the subs.
The bench also includes rookies Cormac O'Brien, Sam Quirke, Brian O'Sullivan, Brian Hayes and Cormac Beausang, with Luke Meade and Cormac Beausang offering more experience.
It'll be particularly interesting to see how Roche and Twomey fare at midfield in the cauldron of Nowlan Park.
Power is at the edge of the square, having offered a real threat in the games against Wexford and Clare on minimal possession. Cork have no shortage of pace in attack with top-scorer Shane Kingston, Jack O'Connor and Conor Lehane starting, while Shane Barrett has been one of their in-form hurlers this spring.
New manager Pat Ryan has been looking at all his options across the league, both as the former manager of the back-to-back U20 All-Ireland winning side of 2020 and '21 and due to the volume of injuries suffered by the more experienced hurlers. Mark Coleman is in a race against time to feature in championship at all, while Alan Connolly has also been marked absent since late last year.
Seamus Harnedy, Seán O'Donoghue, Declan Dalton and Darragh Fitzgibbon are among those in casualty this weekend.
Cork must travel to Kilkenny for Sunday's clash (4pm, live on TG4) having hosted the Cats at the same stage last season. They squeezed through in that Páirc Uí Chaoimh clash before underperforming in the decider against Waterford.
Remarkably, Cork haven't won the league since 1998 when Jimmy Barry-Murphy was bainisteoir and Diarmuid O'Sullivan was the youthful captain and have lost five final: 2002, 2010, '12, '15 and last spring.
Limerick take on Tipperary in Saturday night's other semi-final, with the Treaty favourites for the silverware given their sustained excellence since they were beaten in the league opener against Cork with an experimental line-up.
Patrick Collins (Ballinhassig);
Niall O’Leary (Castlelyons, c), Eoin Downey (Glen Rovers), Damien Cahalane (St Finbarr’s);
Tommy O’Connell (Midleton), Ciaran Joyce (Castlemartyr), Rob Downey (Glen Rovers);
Brian Roche (Bride Rovers), Ethan Twomey (St Finbarr’s);
Conor Cahalane (St Finbarr’s), Conor Lehane (Midleton), Shane Barrett (Blarney);
Shane Kingston (Douglas), Padraig Power (Blarney), Jack O’Connor (Sarsfields).
Ger Collins (Ballinhassig), Ger Mellerick (Fr O’Neill's), Cormac O’Brien (Newtownshandrum), Sam Quirke (Midleton), Brian O’Sullivan (Kanturk), Tim O’Mahony (Newtownshandrum), Brian Hayes (St Finbarr’s), Luke Meade (Newcestown), Alan Cadogan (Douglas), Cormac Beausang (Midleton) Patrick Horgan (Glen Rovers).
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