Positive injury news for Cork footballers 

Cork football selector Micheál Ó Cróinín says the squad will be much stronger as the season progresses as the injuries clear up.

Speaking to the media at the launch of the 2025 Munster GAA Senior Championships at Muckross House and Gardens on Tuesday, the Naomh Abán clubman gave an upbeat update on injuries.

Cork do go into the provincial championship with a spring in their step after winning the last two Allianz Division 2 Football League games to finish in fifth place on eight points.

John Cleary’s side face Limerick in the Munster championship quarter-final on Saturday week at the TUS Gaelic Grounds with throw-in at 6pm.

“There are lads coming back,” Ó Cróinín said.

“Maurice Shanley, Seán Meehan, Seán Powter, a lot of experience there that we didn’t have for most of the league. They should hopefully be coming back into training this week and into the weekend and getting their sharpness back. Whether they will be ready for the Limerick game, that’s another question. We will just have to wait and see.

“If we can get them all back in, it will make training more competitive and up the standards of everybody else and hopefully that will help us. Conor Corbett has come back from injury, so he’s back doing training with us. 

"The cruciate is the dreaded one and it’s Conor’s second one, unfortunately for him, but he’s showing a lot of character. He looks in great condition physically. Hopefully we will get him into it in the coming period.

“Kevin O’Donovan is probably a bit behind the other lads, but he’s doing bits and pieces with us in training. We are hoping to have a stronger unit when they all come back, especially with the likes of Neil Lordan, Seán Walsh and Seán Brady part of our squad, who all had to step up and fill the void.

“Paul Walsh has a little nick in the hamstring. We will just have to assess it in the coming period. Paul had been going quite well for us, a good athletic strong fella. He doesn’t get injured too easily. I believe it’s not too serious, but we will just have to see if he will make Limerick.” 

Meanwhile, Cork GAA CEO Kevin O'Donovan says football on Leeside needs some "dangerous ideas" to get back on its feet.

"We are having a big emergency county board meeting next month about it," O'Donovan told a Cork Chamber business breakfast at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Tuesday.

"It needs some dangerous ideas. They are within the county board. Should the Cork footballers decouple themselves a little bit from Cork hurling? Does it suffer by comparison? Roscommon play a football match, it's Roscommon footballers. Cork footballers play a match, it's not the Cork hurlers.

"There's a very unfair comparison, and young players are very much entranced - rightly so - by the glory of hurling and the success of our team. It leaves football very much short-changed.

"So, some dangerous ideas for football. Officially, I'm against all of these, just so I can get out of this room alive! Should Cork wear a different football jersey? Should they play their home games in Páirc Uí Rinn?

"Should Cork move to Leinster as a province? Should we ask? That's not a joke - an officer rang me about it last week. It's a new idea. Should we go to Leinster for more competitive games?

"Should we ask young players to decide at 15 whether they want to be hurlers or footballers? Very cynical. It's what Dublin are doing in hurling. Cork football is suffering in comparison to Cork hurling. I'm officially against them all but they are definitely worth discussing."