The Echo Sport Podcast: Cork footballers thrive under new rules, hurlers lay down a marker as UCC and MTU collide

The Echo Sport Podcast is back for a third season to cover every puck of a sliotar and bounce of a football in Cork GAA.

From a packed club schedule to the highs and lows of inter-county action, Éamonn Murphy will be joined by The Echo team including Barry O'Mahony, Denis Hurley, Rory Noonan, John Horgan and more across the next 10 months to discuss it all.

As well as focusing on the opening round of the hurling and football league, there's a review of a busy few weeks which saw Cork hurling clubs Russell Rovers, Watergrasshill and Sarsfields represent the county with distinction at Croke Park. The Hill were crowned All-Ireland champions after an absorbing intermediate final.

Which players from those teams will be on the Cork hurlers' radar?

UCC and MTU Cork are off to impressive starts in the Fitzgibbon Cup. Tom Kingston and Padraig Gould's charges are on a collision course this week in the final group game. Are either of them in contention to collect the Fitz? 

Both sides are into the knockout phase with a game to spare with the likes of Ben Cunningham, Brian Keating, Diarmuid Healy and Alan Connolly on song.

The two Cork colleges were also involved in the Sigerson Cup but neither made an impact on the latter stages, UCC losing both their matches and MTU winning one.

REMARKABLE RUN

In the Harty Cup, the AG got through to a first semi-final in 29 years, despite having a very young team. It was a remarkable run from the Mon, considering the bulk of their team is underage again next season with the likes of Craig O'Sullivan and Josh Brosnan set to feature for the Cork minors this spring. They bowed out to St Flannan's but there was no shame in that.

On the Corn Uí Mhuirí front, Hamilton High School from Bandon were the last Cork school standing but breaking the Kerry monopoly proved impossible. Críost Rí were the last from Leeside to manage that feat, way back in 2011.

The league threw-in up in Wexford and the interest in the Cork hurlers is as strong as ever, the electric summer of 2024 still fresh in the memory, though the pain of that All-Ireland final loss to Clare still hasn't abated.

The Rebels have been hit and miss in the league in the modern era and haven't lifted the trophy since 1998. 

Is it important to bridge that gap? Limerick and Clare have secured doubles in recent years.

The footballers beat Meath in what was a crunch clash in promotion terms. It ended their awful run of failing to win a first-round Division 2 fixture.

There was a winter exodus from the panel which cranked up the pressure on John Cleary and his selectors. With some new faces and embracing the new rules, the Rebels hit 2-19. 

You can listen to the Echo Sport Podcast every week wherever you get your podcasts or on www.echolive.ie/podcast/