Cork and Kilkenny ring the changes ahead of vital hurling matches

Cork have made six changes for their Munster hurling championship match against Clare at Supervalu Pairc Ui Chaoimh on Sunday.

Two of Cork’s most experienced players, Damien Cahalane and Conor Lehane, have been left out along with the former All Star Mark Coleman, Ger Millerick, Tommy O’Connell and Seán Twomey.

The players coming in are Niall O’Leary and Eoin Downey in the full-back line, Tim O’Mahony at wing back, Ethan Twomey at centrefield, while Declan Dalton and Brian Hayes join the attack. Hayes and Twomey, both from St Finbarr’s, will be making their first championship starts. Dalton has missed most of the season so far through injury.

It was expected that Patrick Horgan would be under pressure to keep his place but he has been named at number 15.

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Last summer, during Pat Ryan’s first season in charge, four was the greatest number of changes that Cork made between any of their championship matches, but the scale of the shake-up reflects Cork’s frustration at their three-point defeat against Waterford last Sunday.

Elsewhere, Kilkenny manager Derek Lyng has omitted all three players who picked up injuries last week against Antrim from the team to play Galway on Sunday in Pearse Stadium.

Goalkeeper Eoin Murphy (head injury) and forwards Adrian Mullen (groin) and Eoin Cody (ankle) miss out after all being replaced against Antrim in the Leinster first round.

Aidan Tallis, who was goalkeeper on Lyng’s All-Ireland winning under-20s two years ago, replaces Murphy, as he did last week. Ballyhale’s Dean Mason is called up to the bench.

Owen Wall, who scored 2-2 having come in for Cody, now starts and Billy Ryan replaces Mullen. Mikey Carey is also out and replaced by Tommy Walsh.

The loss of three All Stars – two current in Murphy and Cody – is a big loss for the champions as they head to Galway to face Henry Shefflin’s team, who they have defeated in the past two Leinster finals although it may not affect the team’s chances of progressing to this year’s.

CORK: P Collins; N O’Leary, E Downey, S O’Donoghue (capt); T O’Mahony, C Joyce, R Downey; E Twomey, D Fitzgibbon; D Dalton, S Barrett, S Harnedy; B Hayes, A Connolly, P Horgan. Subs: B Saunderson, D Cahalane, G Millerick, T O’Connell, M Coleman, L Meade, S Kingston, R O’Flynn, J O’Connor, C Lehane, S Twomey.

KILKENNY: A Tallis; M Butler, H Lawlor, T Walsh; D Blanchfield, P Deegan (capt), S Murphy; C Kenny, R Reid; M Keoghan, J Donnelly, T Phelan; B Ryan, TJ Reid, O Wall. Subs: D Mason, C Delaney, J Molloy, D Corcoran, K Doyle, C Fogarty, G Dunne, B Drennan, L Hogan, H Shine, L Blanchfield.

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