Countdown clock ticking as Cork await championship opener on Sunday

THE great and the good assemble in Pairc Ui Chaoimh later today to officially launch the start of the Munster championship season, which gets underway with two first-round games in football on Sunday, Cork travelling to play Clare in Ennis and Tipperary hosting Waterford in Thurles, both at 2pm.

Lads in blazers will have no problems in attracting punters through the turnstiles, once they have the required tickets of course, for the round-robin matches in hurling, a championship that’s set to be ultra-competitive, but the football equivalent will need a hard sell.

Barring Cork finishing fourth in Division 2 in the league, the other three counties struggled with Clare ending their long-running sequence in the section and returning Division 3 next year while Tipp slipped out of that sector which means they will join Waterford in the fourth tier in 2024.

And when you consider Limerick also experienced a best-forgotten Division 2 campaign, propping up the table to return straight away to the third division in addition to making a managerial change mid-season, it all adds up to a less inspiring championship.

Yet, that won’t detract one iota from Clare gearing up for a massive performance against favourites Cork in what will be their third meeting of the year with the Rebels winning both games in the McGrath Cup in Quilty at the start of 2023 and then more recently in Ennis in the league.

What will stir Colm Collins’s side is the prospect of possibly meeting Limerick in the semi-final so soon after posting a huge 2-18 to 0-9 win over their mid-west rivals in the concluding fixture and by reaching the final, it would hand the Banner a place among the 16 counties qualifying for the All-Ireland.

That’s not a problem for Cork, who’re already assured of a spot in the new format of four groups of four, but qualifying for another tilt at All-Ireland champions Kerry, who meet either Tipp or Waterford in the semi-final, is one of their box-ticking exercises.

Whoever qualifies to meet the Kingdom won’t relish the prospect of facing the Sam Maguire Cup holders in what is sure to be a one-sided encounter and will probably do little for Jack O’Connor’s charges though the new format will suit them ideally because of the greater number of games.

Cork have two main injury concerns in Clonakilty defender Maurice Shanley, who suffered a hamstring injury during the week of the Derry game, the last in the league which ended in a 1-14 each draw, and captain Brian Hurley, who missed that game as well as the Louth defeat due to a shoulder issue.

The one definite absentee is Mitchelstown’s Cathail O’Mahony, who underwent surgery on a hamstring problem and is out for the whole Munster championship.

The timing of the championship still takes adjusting giving the close proximity of the league’s conclusion, something which Cork manager John Cleary addressed after the Derry game.

“You’re never happy really because of the injuries and we would have liked an extra week or two to prepare for championship, but we don’t have that,” he said.

It would appear Shanley is the more problematic injury on the basis it’s more recent and hamstrings are notoriously slow to heal while Hurley is expected to be fit which would be good news for Cork because the Castlehaven player is needed big time.

His ability to win possession close to goal was missed during his absence and Hurley’s availability would represent a major boost even if it gives management a selection headache in that one from Conor Corbett, Chris Og Jones and leading scorer Steven Sherlock would lose out.

Corbett, in his maiden season, impressed when introduced off the bench against Derry, adding 0-3 during the last 20 minutes, when Cork rallied from being 1-13 to 0-8 in arrears to outscore the Ulster champions 1-6 to 0-1 on the run in.

FIXTURES: SATURDAY: Connacht SFC R1: London v Sligo, Ruislip, 3pm; New York v Leitrim, Gaelic Park, 11pm.

Ulster SFC Preliminary Round: Armagh v Antrim, Athletic Grounds, 5pm.

SUNDAY: Munster SFC R1: Clare v Cork, Cusack Park, Ennis, 2pm; Tipperary v Waterford, Thurles, 2pm.

Leinster SFC R1: Wicklow v Carlow, Aughrim, 2.30; Longford v Offaly, Pearse Park, 3pm; Laois v Wexford, Portlaoise, 3.30.

Connacht SFC R1: Mayo v Roscommon, Castlebar, 4pm.