a day ago
Favourites Cork set for rematch with in-form Clare in All-Ireland minor semi-final
The Cork minor hurlers will come out of cold storage on Sunday to meet a Clare side catching fire.
Fergal McCormack's troops earned a month of preparation time for this All-Ireland semi-final by dint of their Munster triumph against Waterford.
In that time, Clare have skated through the backdoor with victories over Dublin and Galway. They arrive quietly confident for their fourth consecutive semi-final appearance.
The Rebels remain favourites for the rematch at FBD Semple Stadium (1pm throw-in), yet much has changed since their 3-24 to 3-17 round-robin success.
Callum Coffey bagged a hat-trick that day, only to suffer an injury during the provincial final.
Clare centre-back Dara Kennedy was absent in Tulla and may well take on the task of tagging Cormac Deane.
Back then, converted goalkeeper Leon Talty was making his second-ever appearance between the sticks. He has been gaining experience all the while and saved a penalty against Galway.
Ger O'Connell has revamped his full-back and half-forward lines since then, while Mark Rodgers and Liam Murphy have been building form and fitness.
The Banner endured a mixed Munster campaign, but Rodgers has hit double digits on his last four outings.
Murphy, meanwhile, has found the net in back-to-back games to bring his total to 10 goals across the past two seasons.
Their defence held the Tribesmen to a single point in the closing 29 minutes of their quarter-final. Cork will be harder to stop, though, as they hunt a first Irish Press Cup since 2021.
Wing-backs Michael Brosnan and Colm Garde have been outstanding on either side of captain Bobby Carroll.
Midfielder Tom A Walsh put in a man-of-the-match display in the Munster final. He will face off against Clare captain Graham Ball.
With Coffey sidelined, Sam Ring has raised green flags in successive games. Deane has chipped in with 1-18, while Craig O'Sullivan's 0-47 tally includes 21 points from play.
The other semi-final also promises a high-quality affair on Saturday evening at Chadwicks Wexford Park (7.35pm throw-in).
Kilkenny call on eight returning starters from last year's All-Ireland final defeat to Tipperary. All six of their forwards featured on that occasion.
They have carried that sharp attacking edge into this campaign, belting four goals past Dublin and Galway to secure the Leinster title.
Jake Mullen has accumulated 4-35. Cian Byrne has netted four times in two knockout games. Ollie O'Donovan stitched five goals last year and continues to threaten further out the field, picking off 2-15 from centre-forward.
Captain Larry Phelan and Oisín Henderson anchor a defence which held Galway to 1-8 in a washout Leinster final. Croke Cup winner with Thurles CBS Darragh Hickey joins that full-back line in place of David McGee.
That's Niall Bergin's sole change, while Waterford boss James O'Connor names a new midfield pairing in Éanna McHugh and Gearóid O'Shea.
O'Connor has identified the Déise's scoring spread for improvement. Cormac Spain's remarkable 6-58 haul accounts for 60% of their total scores.
Jack Power's aerial ability can trouble the Cats, while captain James Comerford will hope to maintain his streak of key saves.
They recovered from Munster final disappointment to defeat Limerick by four points. Still, the former Ballyhale boss reckons his side have been playing at just 70% of their capability.
