All-Ireland hurling final: Joe Canning's Cork player profiles
Age
: 28
Club
: Ballinhassig
Debut
: v Limerick, 2021
His long puckouts to Brian Hayes are a key weapon for
Cork
, but Collins is good at medium-range deliveries too and his puckouts to Tim O'Mahony were particularly impressive in the semi-final. In some situations, like for
Limerick
's goal in
the Munster final
, he needs to stay on his feet longer.
READ MORE
2 Niall O'Leary
Age
: 27
Club
: Castlelyons
Debut
: v Tipperary, 2019
O'Leary is a no-fuss kind of player: tight and tough. I don't think Cork will worry about match-ups in their full-back line. O'Leary loves a one-on-one battle and he'll be trusted to pick up whoever comes into his corner. One of Cork's best players in the league, he has carried that form into the championship.
3 Eoin Downey
Eoin Downey of Cork will need to be at his most alert against John McGrath. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho
Age
: 22
Club
: Glen Rovers
Debut
: v Tipperary, 2023
For many years after Diarmuid O'Sullivan retired, number three has been a problem for Cork. Downey has nailed down the position now. Occasionally he looks vulnerable in the air, but I don't think it's a weakness. He had a brilliant final last year, but John McGrath's movement and intelligence will ask some questions.
4 Seán O'Donoghue
Age
: 29
Club
: Inniscarra
Debut
: v Clare, 2018
Lost the captaincy at the beginning of the year and it looked like he might be under pressure to hold his place. However, O'Donoghue has been brilliant this season. Marked Darragh McCarthy in the league final and was lined up to mark him again in the championship until McCarthy was sent off in the first minute.
5 Ciarán Joyce
Dublin's Rian McBride is blocked by Ciarán Joyce of Cork during the All-Ireland SHC semi-final. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho
Age
: 23
Club
: Castlemartyr
Debut
: v Limerick, 2022
Even though he likes to do a bit of hurling, Joyce is Cork's go-to man marker in the half-back line. I expect him to tag Jake Morris and the outcome of that duel will have an impact on the result. Has also done well at centre back during the championship when Robert Downey was injured.
6 Robert Downey
Age
: 25
Club
: Glen Rovers
Debut
: v Limerick, 2019
Has had an injury-interrupted season but made an impact off the bench in the Munster final and was commanding against Dublin, especially under the high ball. Andrew Ormond will pose a different test this weekend and I think Tipp will target Downey's channel with pace.
7 Mark Coleman
Age
: 27
Club
: Blarney
Debut
: v Wexford, 2016
Had a good final last year and his overall form this season is much better than last year. Very good going forward and delivers quick ball into his forwards, but not as effective going towards his own goal. Sam O'Farrell will have defensive duties in his own half, though, and that will suit Coleman.
8 Tim O'Mahony
Cork's Tim O'Mahony scores his side's sixth goal against Dublin in the All-Ireland SHC semi-final. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho
Age
: 28
Club
: Newtownshandrum
Debut
: v Clare, 2018
O'Mahony is the engine of the team and when he's going well Cork seem to go well. When he didn't have an influence against Limerick in the round-robin game, Cork had no foothold in the middle third. He's been outstanding in the last two games, returning to the form he showed in the league.
9 Darragh Fitzgibbon
Age
: 28
Club
: Charleville
Debut
: v Tipperary, 2017
Cork played him at centre forward for a lot of the year, but I think centre field is his best position. O'Mahony's capacity to break up the play makes him a perfect foil and gives Fitzgibbon the freedom to attack. Had a huge game in the Munster final when Cork really needed their leaders to stand up.
10 Diarmuid Healy
Age
: 21
Club
: Lisgoold
Debut
: v Clare, 2025
Did exceptionally well in the Munster final and though he's a young player in his rookie season, there seems to be no question about his temperament. Had a quieter game against Dublin in the semi-final, but he has a very bright future. Tall, athletic, rangy with a good eye for a score.
11 Shane Barrett
Cork's Shane Barrett holds off Dublin's Conor McHugh. Photograph: Tom O'Hanlon/Inpho
Age
: 24
Club
: Blarney
Debut
: v Dublin, 2020
Was one of the favourites for Hurler of the Year going into last year's All-Ireland and came back to that kind of form against Limerick in the Munster final. His shooting was off against Dublin, but even on a day like that he's always busy and asking questions. Will force Tipp to think about their options at number six.
12 Declan Dalton
Age
: 27
Club
: Fr O'Neill's
Debut
: v Tipperary, 2019
After a frustrating year with injuries, he came storming back to form in the semi-final against Dublin. He also had a hugely effective semi-final last year but failed to back it up against Clare. That experience will stand to him. Takes the pressure off Patrick Horgan with long-range frees.
13 Patrick Horgan
Age
: 37
Club
: Glen Rovers
Debut
: v Tipperary 2008
Deserves to win an All-Ireland and maybe it will finally come on Sunday. Cork don't depend on him nearly as much as they have over the years, which is better for everyone. Has not hit his usual percentages with dead balls but still good for a couple of scores from play.
14 Alan Connolly
Alan Connolly was outstanding for Cork in the semi-final against Dublin. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho
Age
: 24
Club
: Blackrock
Debut
: v Limerick, 2021
Had a spectacular match against Dublin but he doesn't always deliver. He strikes me as a confidence player who needs the first couple of possessions to go well. If that happens, he could be electric. Always thinking about a goal and has scored five against Tipp in his last three games against them.
15 Brian Hayes
Age
: 24
Club
: St Finbarr's
Debut
: v Tipperary, 2023
With the biggest game of the year left, he's my Hurler of the Year. Everything goes through him in the Cork attack, whether it's a long puckout or a ball sent in from the middle third. His improvement over the last 14 months has been phenomenal and nothing seems to phase him.
Bench
With Séamus Harnedy not fit to start, he's a huge option to come on. As well as him, they have plenty of experience on the bench: Shane Kingston, Conor Lehane and Damien Cahalane have all been around a long time.
Backroom team
Pat Ryan (Manager) Donal O'Rourke, Brendan Coleman, Fergal Condon, Donal O'Mahony
Pat Ryan has never looked for excuses on Cork's bad days and he's never blamed the players. That's a great trait in a manager and the players will appreciate that. The way he has handled himself and the team has been hugely impressive.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
5 minutes ago
- Irish Examiner
Jarlath Burns has to nail All-Ireland final dates – once and for all
September. July. August. July… where GAA president Jarlath Burns sees the All-Ireland finals eventually falling, it's difficult to ascertain. While he said he would 'absolutely love' for the games to be returned to September, his comments last year appeared more aspirational than realistic. And yet the compromise of August he ruled out for 2026 because of concerts in Croke Park. Just as Oasis prevented any movement this year, it appears another act, rumoured to be U2, have kicked that can down the road again. A chronicling of Burns' public comments on the finals highlights how torn he seems on the matter: April 2024: 'There is a way of achieving that (more space in inter-county calendar) going right back to the two finals in September. The difficulty with it is the people who are going to have to compromise are the people with their own county championships.' June 2024: 'If you look at the genuine dual counties, like Cork and like Galway and Tipperary and Dublin… they need at least 14 weeks to run off their club championships. So if you can find 14 weeks in a year to allow a county to run off its club championship, well then, it's (September finals) a possibility. But I don't honestly know how we can do that.' April 2025: 'It's (August All-Ireland finals) not a non-runner for the future. This year it's out, next year it's out as well. But it's going to be the next president who will make that decision, whether or not we go into August.' June 2025: 'You might have heard me saying that this isn't going to happen during my presidency. The decision might be made during my presidency, but it might not actually occur during my presidency. But I am certainly open to the first and third weeks in August from 2027 on.' July 2025: 'Our schedule and our season do not suit some vested interests who would prefer the inter-county calendar to dominate with no regard at all for the clubs who supply 100% of our players. We have made some hard choices on the structure of our season. It is significantly shorter but the games have not suffered; the players at inter-county enjoy the system, and our club players have a certainty and a structure that they crave.' Burns' attitude to replays also appears to be in flux too. Days after June's Munster SHC final won by Cork after extra-time and penalties, he spoke of the proposal to apply replays to provincial finals after extra-time, something which he indicated support for by mentioning his own Armagh's experiences at Congress in Donegal in February, before it was deferred. 'We did bring a motion of replays to Congress,' he said. 'Unfortunately, it didn't suit Munster at the time because of the preliminary quarter-finals that are played a week later. 'In the light of what has happened at the weekend, it's definitely something I think we should review.' However, by All-Ireland SHC semi-final weekend, he was seeing Munster GAA chief executive Kieran Leddy's point of view. 'I can accept that using penalties to decide this year's epic Munster final was a jolt and not to everyone's satisfaction. But here is the thing, a replay would have seen the loser have to play three weeks in a row or if a window was created for replays, then the winners could have been idle for five weeks.' Burns's varying remarks and determination to take every opinion into account demonstrates just how polarised the GAA is on the issue of adding weeks to the inter-county and additional games. There is no solution that is going to appease everyone. August finals will be seen as an erosion of the club window, yet the GAA can hardly claim it is maximising its national exposure. In such a suffocating position, the inter-county game has cannibalised itself. The new football format next year will provide a little more breathing space but not enough. Going as far as the third weekend in August seems highly unlikely. If, as expected, the motion to add replays to All-Ireland finals level after regulation time resurfaces at October's Special Congress as is passed, then the chances of second days improve significantly. A football final replay in the first week of September and the relevant county fixture officials will require smelling salts. For what died the sons of the Club Players Association (CPA). But an August Bank Holiday final is a possibility. The GAA could block-book Dublin hotels for the teams. By this time next year, the GAA will have a second hotel on the doorstep of Croke Park. Burns has heard and articulated both sides, but the time to give his final verdict is now.
The Irish Sun
5 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
Laura Hayes' 2024 awards bash gamble paid off as Cork ace eyes up more glory in latest All-Ireland tilt vs Galway
She identified the primary motivating factor for their opposition as well as themselves REBEL RETURN Laura Hayes' 2024 awards bash gamble paid off as Cork ace eyes up more glory in latest All-Ireland tilt vs Galway LAURA HAYES' gamble paid off when she flew home from Thailand to be crowned 2024 Camogie Player of the Year. The Cork ace was shortlisted for the gong after the Rebels stormed to back-to-back All-Ireland titles last August. But Hayes booked a trip to Asia when the ceremony was due to take place at Croke Park on November 15. Up against team-mate Saoirse McCarthy and Galway's Aoife Donoghue, she took a risk and booked a ticket — before being rewarded with the ultimate prize. The St Catherine's star said: 'I never expected it. I had flights booked to Thailand and Vietnam, so I was going in November. 'I was nominated for Player of the Year and I was away for them. "I had a decision to make but my grandparents and stuff were going to go and I thought it would be a special thing. 'It was one of those things that could work out or not, so I actually booked a flight home for it. It was a risk but it was well worth it.' Hayes, her travels over for now, has been a key cog in Cork's run to Sunday's clash with Galway — in a repeat of last year's showpiece. No team since Wexford in 2012 has won three camogie titles in a row. And the Tribes will be driven by last year's loss but Hayes knows winning can be just as powerful when it comes to motivation. She said: 'The winning feeling is something you can't replace. But I also think that feeling of losing doesn't leave you either. TJ Reid and wife Niamh de Brun's gorgeous pregnancy reveal 'You can use both as motivating factors once you use them the right way.'
The Irish Sun
5 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
Inside Wrexham's pitch to Christian Eriksen that convinced top stars to join Reynolds and McElhenney's ‘chaotic' project
Wrexham could be on the brink of making a new club-record signing too WREX APPEAL Inside Wrexham's pitch to Christian Eriksen that convinced top stars to join Reynolds and McElhenney's 'chaotic' project WREXHAM'S Hollywood story is looking for its next batch of A-list stars ahead of the club's return to the Championship. High-profile owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have sanctioned a summer of spending that they hope will make Wrexham competitive in the Championship following three consecutive promotions. Advertisement 8 Wrexham co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have been trying to find some new stars for their Championship season Credit: PA 8 The Welsh club failed in an attempt to sign Christian Eriksen earlier this summer Credit: Getty Reynolds and McElhenney have transformed the Welsh club since taking over in 2021, and their impressive ambition has taken Wrexham from the National League to the Championship in record time. A huge part of that rise has been splashing the cash on signings who are considered better than the current level, attracting players who are already a step up from the division they're playing in. This summer saw their most ambitious effort so far when the club tried to convince former Manchester United and Tottenham star Christian Eriksen, 33, to head to the Racecourse. Eriksen, a 144-time Denmark international, only left Man Utd at the end of the season, bringing an end to a £150,000-per-week deal at Old Trafford. Advertisement READ MORE IN FOOTBALL OUT ON YOUR SHIELD ITV lose rights to Community Shield as Prem curtain raiser moved Wrexham's ambition to sign the Champions League veteran was clear, sending CEO Michael Williamson to present a two-year plan to Eriksen that detailed how they intend to reach the Premier League. According to the Mail Online, Eriksen was impressed by the "attractive" pitch, but made the decision to respectfully turn it down in the hopes of continuing to play top flight football next term. Speaking to the Mail, Eriksen's representative Martin Schoots said: "Wrexham are really upgrading everything both on and off the field and it is a hugely impressive project, as you can see from the presence of people like Michael there." Although Wrexham had missed out on their blockbuster name, their ambition and pitch had begun to make waves in the transfer market. Advertisement 8 Conor Coady has signed a two-year deal with Wrexham Credit: Getty 8 Wrexham are investing heavily on and off the pitch Credit: Getty CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS It's claimed that word of their approach for Eriksen got around, changing the perspective of which players could actually be on the table for the Championship rookies. Advertisement Among those who had their head turned by the stories was former England international and Premier League regular Conor Coady. Wrexham stars celebrate in iconic Las Vegas casino and hijack luggage cart after Hollywood owners splash £500k on party Coady, 32, was soon tapped up by Wrexham's transfer team and penned a two-year deal at the Racecourse after Wrexham agreed a fee of around £2m to get him out of Leicester City. Like Eriksen, Coady was sold on a project that is seeing Wrexham improve their facilities as well as their squad. Work is underway on a new 7,750-capacity Kop stand that will take the stadium's total capacity to 18,000, more than Prem sides like Bournemouth and Brentford. Advertisement While a new £1.7m hybrid pitch with undersoil heating has been installed this summer to meet Fifa and Uefa requirements. There will be plenty of new stars gracing that pitch too, with Wrexham already signing EIGHT new faces this summer. It's claimed that they had set a summer budget of a whopping £20MILLION for boss Phil Parkinson, a number that was quickly passed around the transfer market and meant agents and clubs were offering up their players to the Welsh side. An insider told the Mail: "It feels a bit chaotic, with agents running the show to an extent." Advertisement But Wrexham appear happy with their spending, already splashing £11.1m of that hefty budget. That cash has gone on the likes of Kieffer Moore from Sheffield United, Lewis O'Brien from Nottingham Forest and even new full-back Liberato Cacace from Italian side Empoli. Wrexham's summer signings A look at who Wrexham have brought in ahead of their Championship campaign... Ryan Hardie - £750,000, Plymouth Argyle - £750,000, Plymouth Argyle Danny Ward - free, Leicester City - free, Leicester City Liberato Cacace - £2.16million, Empoli - £2.16million, Empoli George Thomason - £1.2m, Bolton Wanderers - £1.2m, Bolton Wanderers Josh Windass - free, Sheffield Wednesday - free, Sheffield Wednesday Lewis O'Brien - £3m, Nottingham Forest - £3m, Nottingham Forest Conor Coady - £2m, Leicester City - £2m, Leicester City Kieffer Moore - £2m, Sheffield United - £2m, Sheffield United TOTAL SPEND: £11.11million Reynolds and McEllhenney have been shrewd where possible too, signing experienced Championship striker Josh Windass from Sheffield Wednesday on a free transfer. Windass, who left Wednesday after the mutual termination of his contract amid their financial woes, had been the subject of interest from a slew of other Championship clubs but still chose Wrexham. Advertisement While Welsh international goalkeeper Danny Ward was also snapped up from Leicester on a free. Perhaps the big-ticket star is yet to arrive too, with reports suggesting Wrexham are edging towards completing a club record £7.5MILLION deal to sign Nathan Broadhead from Ipswich Town. That deal is thought to have been agreed in principle last week, but Broadhead's exit is yet to be sanctioned by Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna. Wrexham will need all their new faces firing and ready to go from the off as they face a baptism of fire for their first game back in the Championship. Advertisement The Red Dragons take on relegated Prem side Southampton at St Mary's on Saturday, a test that will show them just how difficult life in the second tier can be. 8 Josh Windass joined Wrexham from Sheffield Wednesday on a free transfer Credit: 8 Kieffer Moore has arrived from Sheffield United Credit: Instagram @wrexham_afc 8 Nottingham Forest midfielder Lewis O'Brien has also made the switch Credit: Alamy Advertisement
