Cork hurlers could get a boost by adding U20s to the squad

THE hurlers got to breathe a huge collective sigh of relief when Limerick got the job done at home against Waterford, meaning the third qualifying spot from the Munster Championship went to the Rebels.

Tipperary were already eliminated, but in the final round of fixtures Waterford and Galway joined Liam Cahill's side as the big losers of the round-robin series.

Someone has to be the bad news story every year and all Cork fans knew exactly how early elimination felt from last year. Everyone on Leeside was fearing the draw at the Gaelic Grounds that would have seen Waterford join the Rebels on four points but go through on the head-to-head result from Walsh Park in April.

Cork became only the second side to emerge from the province after losing their opening two matches in the Munster Championship, also managing the feat in 2022. That year it took wins over Waterford and Tipperary to make it into the All-Ireland series, although this time it felt like a much bigger achievement given that Pat Ryan's side had to down the five-in-a-row chasing Limerick to survive. 

Cork will now have to win two games to reach the All-Ireland semi, against the Joe McDonagh winners and the eventual Leinster runners-up, but if they manage to negotiate those hurdles John Kiely’s side might be waiting for them once more, should they retain their Munster title against Clare.

REMATCH

The bottom line is that if Cork are going to win the All-Ireland this year then they are probably going to have to defeat Limerick again, but this time up in Croke Park.

The Cork U20s championship campaign ended in defeat last Friday night to Tipperary at the Gaelic Grounds in the Munster final in a defeat that was a combination of bizarre officiating, a soft goal concession and a huge wide count. At least from a Cork perspective.

The game was a lost opportunity to win a fourth Munster title at the grade in five years for Ben O’Connor’s charges, and a chance to turn that into a fourth All-Ireland.

It does potentially free up a couple of that panel to step up to the senior panel, if Pat Ryan saw value in such a move at this point of the season. You would imagine that Lisgoold wing-forward Diarmuid Healy and Barrs attacker William Buckley are the two most likely to step up. 

Considering last year's graduates Micheál Mullins and Ben Cunningham are still waiting to crack the senior side the chances are it might not be this year. Although full-back Eoin Downey, from last year’s winning U20 team, has managed to make the leap.

IMPACT

Both players could certainly offer something, with Healy a ball-winning option in the half-forward line and Buckley possibly offering serious impact with his all-action style, probably from the bench. 

That's up to Ryan and his selectors to decide.

The winner of the Joe McDonagh tournament, whether it be Offaly or Laois, will not be expected to scalp Cork, and we can expect that Cork will not be doing much experimenting with the team from now on.

Reintroducing the likes of Ciarán Joyce, Robbie O’Flynn, Damien Cahalane and Brian Roche back into the panel, after their various injuries, will be the extent of any changes to the panel for the next fixture. However, it would certainly spark a lot of interest if any of the U20s were parachuted onto the panel now.

Cork have fought their way to the business end of the championship though, and that seemed unlikely after the loss to Clare. They are very much in bonus territory now.