Cork v Dublin: Séamus Harnedy back as Rebels make one change

Séamus Harnedy returns to the Cork team as the sole change for Saturday’s All-Ireland SHC quarter-final against Dublin at FBD Semple Stadium (1.15pm).

A hamstring injury kept the St Ita’s man out of last week’s preliminary quarter-final victory over Offaly at Glenisk O’Connor Park – it was the first championship match he had missed since the Munster SHC game against Waterford in 2015.

However, it was a precautionary measure as much as anything else and the two-time All-Star reclaims the number 12 jersey as Conor Lehane drops to the substitutes’ bench again.

Conor Cahalane is the unlucky player to lose out there, but his brother Damien, unable to tog out against Offaly or the last Munster game against Tipperary, has recovered from his calf problem and is named as a sub, replacing Cormac O’Brien.

Ethan Twomey remains unavailable and so Cork are as they were for the nine-point win in Tullamore, with Ciarán Joyce again named at midfield alongside Darragh Fitzgibbon.

It’s Cork’s third clash against Dublin since the beginning of the 2020 championship, with all three games taking place in Thurles – the counties had never played there before then. Cork won both of those games, by 1-25 to 0-22 and 2-26 to 0-24 – the latter was also an All-Ireland quarter-final and they went on from there to reach the final.

If Cork do win, then their next opponents would depend on the outcome of the Clare-Wexford quarter-final, which follows at 3.15pm. 

Were Clare to bounce back from their Munster final loss to Limerick and reach the semi-finals for the third consecutive year, they would meet Leinster champions Kilkenny, leaving Cork to face Limerick on Sunday, July 7.

However, a win for Wexford would mean a semi-final clash against Kilkenny, with that fixture down for Saturday, July 6.

CORK (All-Ireland SHC v Dublin): 

Patrick Collins (Ballinhassig); 

Niall O’Leary (Castlelyons), Eoin Downey (Glen Rovers), Seán O’Donoghue (Inniscarra, c); 

Tim O’Mahony (Newtownshandrum), Robert Downey (Glen Rovers), Mark Coleman (Blarney); 

Ciarán Joyce (Castlemartyr), Darragh Fitzgibbon (Charleville); 

Declan Dalton (Fr O’Neills), Shane Barrett (Blarney), Séamus Harnedy (St Ita’s); 

Patrick Horgan (Glen Rovers), Alan Connolly (Blackrock), Brian Hayes (St Finbarr’s).

Subs: 

Brion Saunderson (Midleton), Damien Cahalane (St Finbarr’s), Ger Millerick (Fr O’Neills), Tommy O’Connell (Midleton), Luke Meade (Newcestown), Shane Kingston (Douglas), Robbie O’Flynn (Erin’s Own), Jack O’Connor (Sarsfields), Seán Twomey (Courcey Rovers), Pádraig Power (Blarney), Conor Lehane (Midleton).