Cork v Waterford: Rebels make four changes for pivotal clash

Cormac O’Brien makes his first championship start as one of four changes to the Cork side for Sunday’s decisive Munster SHC clash with Waterford at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh (4pm).

With Cork captain Robert Downey – withdrawn in each of the Rebels’ three round-robin games so far – not passed fit, Newtownshandrum man O’Brien comes into the side at right half-back with Ciarán Joyce moving from number 5 to 6. Vice-captain Shane Barrett skippers the team in Downey’s absence.

O’Brien was Downey’s replacement at half-time in last Sunday’s defeat to Limerick at TUS Gaelic Grounds. It was his second appearance in the Munster SHC, having come on as a sub against Sunday’s opponents in 2023 in what was manager Pat Ryan’s first game in charge in the championship.

He is one of two alterations in defence as Ger Millerick is chosen at right corner-back in place of Niall O’Leary, who misses out after a groin adductor injury necessitated his retirement in the second half of the Limerick game.

Also missing out through injury is Declan Dalton, who was forced off with a hamstring problem just seven minutes into the 16-point defeat to the Shannonsiders. The Fr O’Neills man is replaced by Séamus Harnedy, who started the games against Clare and Tipperary but didn’t start against Limerick as he recovered from an Achilles problem.

The fourth change is at midfield, where Brian Roche of Bride Rovers is selected alongside Tim O’Mahony. Roche started all four Munster group games in 2023 but an injury in the early part of last year restricted his ability to make an impact.

Roche's twin brother Eoin and Conor Lehane are named as substitutes due to the vacancies created by O'Leary and Dalton being unavailable, while Robbie O'Flynn is another on the injured list and his place among the replacements is taken by William Buckley of St Finbarr's. It is the All-Ireland minor and U20 medallist's first senior involvement.

In the round-robin era, Cork have a record of four wins and one defeat against Waterford, the loss coming last year in Walsh Park. There were victories at the Waterford city venue in 2022 and in Thurles (a home game for Waterford in 2018) as well as at the Páirc in 2019 and 2023.

Cork go into the game with three points from three games – a win, a draw and a loss – while Waterford have two. 

The winners of the match will progress to the All-Ireland series along with Limerick and Tipperary, whose spots are secured.

A victory for Cork would also send them through to the Munster final – Limerick would be the opponents, unless John Kiely’s side were to lose to the already eliminated Clare at TUS Gaelic Grounds by 25 points or more, in which case they would lose out to Cork and Tipp on scoring difference.

A Cork-Limerick final would take place at the Ennis Road venue as the counties’ last provincial final was in 2014 at the old Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

If the Cork-Waterford game finishes in a draw, the Rebels will finish third, as they did last year, and progress to the All-Ireland preliminary quarter-finals while Limerick and Tipp would face off in the Munster final in Thurles.

CORK (Munster SHC v Waterford): 

Patrick Collins (Ballinhassig); 

Ger Millerick (Fr O’Neills), Eoin Downey (Glen Rovers), Seán O’Donoghue (Inniscarra); 

Cormac O’Brien (Newtownshandrum), Ciarán Joyce (Castlemartyr), Mark Coleman (Blarney); 

Tim O’Mahony (Newtownshandrum), Brian Roche (Bride Rovers); 

Shane Barrett (Blarney, c), Darragh Fitzgibbon (Charleville), 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), Eoin Roche (Bride Rovers), Tommy O’Connell (Midleton), Ethan Twomey (St Finbarr’s), Luke Meade (Newcestown), Conor Lehane (Midleton), Diarmuid Healy (Lisgoold), Jack O’Connor (Sarsfields), William Buckley (St Finbarr's), Shane Kingston (Douglas).