Munster minor hurling: Fitzgerald and Coffey return as Cork make two changes

Denis Fitzgerald and Callum Coffey return to the Cork team for Friday's Electric Ireland Munster MHC final against Waterford at FBD Semple Stadium (7.35pm).

Full-back Fitzgerald missed Cork's last outing, the win over Tipperary, due to injury while Coffey came on as a sub in that match. They replace Tom O'Flynn and Sam Ring respectively.

Whereas in the U20 championship, first place goes straight to the final while second and third contest a semi-final, in minor the top two both get the same prize. Cork manager Fergal McCormack would prefer if topping the table meant a home final – and he’d say the same if the positions had been reversed.

“Personally, I think it should be a home-and-away Munster final and not because we topped the group as such.

“I think in the interests of hurling, it would be best to have a home-and-away Munster final for atmosphere – if it was in Páirc Uí Chaoimh or Páirc Uí Rinn or Walsh Park or Dungarvan,

I think it would be a better option.

“We obviously played Tipperary in Páirc Uí Rinn so we haven't played in Semple Stadium and Waterford have played there. I just think if you want to sell the game, there would be a big, big Cork crowd or Waterford crowd if it was in their home venue or our home venue, where you might lose quite a few people by going to a neutral venue.

“There will be a good atmosphere, but it will be lost to small bit in the bigger stadium like that.”

Cork minor hurling manger Fergal McCormack. Picture: Eddie O'Hare

That Tipp game was something of a dead rubber as Cork were through and the Premier County were out. Cork won without hugely impressing, but McCormack was still able to take some positives.

“As I said at the time, a lot of it was error-ridden,” he says, “but you come back and you have an overview of things and maybe it wasn't as poor as we initially thought it was.

“We beat the Tipperary minors by eight points, so that's a positive. We did a small bit of a reset and we did a bit of a fun exercise on the Monday at Páirc Uí Rinn and the 4G and it was fantastic, the sun was shining, it was great fun. There was a lot of humour about.

GOOD BLOCK

“We really got back on it again in terms of our strategy for Waterford on the Wednesday and we’ve quite a good block of training done for the last week and a half, particularly.”

He knows that, given the quality of the opposition, a tough test awaits.

“This Waterford team, people have spoken about them from even U16 last year,” McCormack says.

“They're a serious team and we're also a serious team.

It will come down to maybe a little bit of luck and a little bit of brilliance and it could be from our side or their side, I'm not sure.

“I saw Keith Ricken’s interview there during the week about the game that Cork-Tipp minor football game.

“He said it could have been any way and the winner was the game. Something similar could happen here.

“As I’ve often said to the lads, we are the Cork minors of 2025 and we’re living out our dreams, we’re in a Munster final and we’ll give it a right lash but we want to be so well-prepared in terms of who we’re playing and how we go about it and what's our best formation and system.

“Obviously, we want to be on the right side of the result and we've been going hammer and tongs for it.

“We've done everything to try and get there, but it's going to be a serious task.”

CORK (Munster MHC final v Waterford):

Tom C Walsh (Aghada);

Darragh Heavin (Russell Rovers), Denis Fitzgerald (Bride Rovers), Cian Lawton (Midleton);

Michael T Brosnan (Glen Rovers), Bobby Carroll (Dromina), Colm Garde (Lisgoold);

Tom A Walsh (Carrigtwohill), Jack Counihan (Watergrasshill);

Ruairc Donovan (Fermoy), Cormac Deane (Killeagh), Craig O’Sullivan (Na Piarsaigh);

Seán Coughlan (Passage), Callum Coffey (Na Piarsaigh), Eoghan O’Shea (Ballinhassig).

Subs: Cathal Galvin (Sarsfields), Ryan Dineen (Erin’s Own), Eoghan Hogan (Éire Óg), Sam Ring (Carrigtwohill), Michael Quill (Blackrock), Charlie Hanratty (Carrigaline), Tom O’Flynn (Sarsfields), Darragh Winters (Courcey Rovers), Adam Dunlea (Sarsfields).

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