Tipperary v Cork: Rebels give first league starts to Mullins and Cotter

Micheál Mullins and Robbie Cotter make their first starts among five changes to the Cork team for tomorrow night’s Allianz Hurling League Division 1A clash with Tipperary at FBD Semple Stadium (7.30pm).

Mullins, who captained Cork to win the 2023 All-Ireland U20 championship, having also been part of the squad that won the 2021 title, is given the number 5 jersey. Recently transferred from Whitechurch to Glen Rovers, he featured as a sub in Cork’s league opener away to Clare last year but injury precluded his involvement thereafter.

Fitzgibbon Cup commitments with MTU Cork meant he didn’t appear in Cork’s opening two league games of the current campaign, the away win over Wexford and the draw at home to Limerick three weeks ago.

Blackrock man Cotter, named at corner-forward, came on against Clare and Offaly in the 2024 league while he was also used from the bench in the two games so far this year. Also coming into the side are Eoin Downey at full-back and Robbie O’Flynn and Jack O’Connor on the left-hand side of the attack.

This is the first outing of 2025 for the two forwards – O’Flynn had been abroad while O’Connor’s focus was on Sarsfields’ journey to the final of the AIB All-Ireland Club SHC.

Captain Robert Downey, Seán O’Donoghue, Mark Coleman, Shane Kingston, Séamus Harnedy and Alan Connolly are all unavailable with injuries of varying seriousness while Declan Dalton serves the second of a two-game suspension following his sending-off against Wexford.

Among the substitutes, Darragh O’Sullivan, Diarmuid Healy, Jack Cahalane and Daniel Hogan could make their league debuts. All are new to the panel this year, with O’Sullivan and Healy after stepping up from U20, Cahalane switching from football and Hogan rewarded for his good displays with Sars.

Tipperary currently sit in a bunch of three teams at the top of the table on four points, along with Kilkenny and Galway, while Cork and Limerick both have three points but with a game in hand on the sides above them.

It means that the winners of Saturday’s clash will go top of the table, though if that happens to be Cork, Kilkenny could overtake them with victory at home to Limerick on Sunday.

The other clash on Sunday sees All-Ireland champions Clare welcome Wexford to Cusack Park in Ennis with neither county yet to get off the mark – the Banner county have two defeats from two while their visitors come into the match on the back of three straight losses.

CORK (Allianz HL v Tipperary): Patrick Collins (Ballinhassig); Niall O’Leary (Castlelyons), Eoin Downey (Glen Rovers), Ger Millerick (Fr O’Neills); Micheál Mullins (Glen Rovers), Ciarán Joyce (Castlemartyr), Cormac O’Brien (Newtownshandrum); Tim O’Mahony (Newtownshandrum), Darragh Fitzgibbon (Charleville); Ethan Twomey (St Finbarr’s), Shane Barrett (Blarney), Robbie O’Flynn (Erin’s Own); Robbie Cotter (Blackrock), Brian Hayes (St Finbarr’s), Jack O’Connor (Sarsfields).

Subs: Brion Saunderson (Midleton), Eoin Roche (Bride Rovers), Damien Cahalane (St Finbarr’s), Tommy O'Connell (Midleton), Darragh O’Sullivan (Ballinhassig), Luke Meade (Newcestown), Brian Roche (Bride Rovers), Diarmuid Healy (Lisgoold), Daniel Hogan (Sarsfields), Jack Cahalane (St Finbarr’s), Patrick Horgan (Glen Rovers).