Cork’s line-up for their Sunday Munster hurling championship match versus Clare at Supervalu Pairc Ui Chaoimh will feature six new faces. Notably absent from the squad are seasoned players Damien Cahalane and Conor Lehane, as well as Mark Coleman, Ger Millerick, Tommy O’Connell and Seán Twomey, all of whom have been dropped.
The revised roster includes Niall O’Leary and Eoin Downey as full-backs, Tim O’Mahony as a wing back, Ethan Twomey in the midfield, with Declan Dalton and Brian Hayes joining the forward line. Dalton’s return may be considered noteworthy, as he has been mostly sidelined this season due to an injury. Brian Hayes and Ethan Twomey, both hailing from St Finbarr’s, are set to make their championship debut.
Although some speculated that player Patrick Horgan might lose his position, he remains in the line-up as number 15.
The massive reshuffle is seen as a response to Cork’s recent loss to Waterford by a slim margin of three points, under the leadership of Pat Ryan. The amount of changes is unprecedented compared to Ryan’s first year in charge, when the highest number of alterations between any of their championship matches was only four.
Cork team: Patrick Collins; Niall O’ Leary, Eoin Downey, Sean O’Donoghue(captain); Tim O’Mahony, Ciarán Joyce, Robert Downey; Ethan Twomey, Darragh Fitzgibbon; Declan Dalton, Shane Barrett, Séamus Harnedy; Brian Hayes, Alan Connolly, Patrick Horgan. Substitutes: Brion Saunderson, Damien Cahalane, Ger Millerick, Tommy O’Connell, Mark Coleman, Luke Meade, Shane Kingston, Robbie O Flynn, Jack O Connor, Conor Lehane, Seán Twomey.