Clare v Cork, Semple Stadium, Thurles, 4pm
Clare v Cork, Semple Stadium, Thurles, 4pm
Clare v Cork, Semple Stadium, Thurles, 4pm
Sunday, June 15
Munster Hurling Championship Semi-FinalClare v Cork, Semple Stadium, Thurles, 4pm (Live on RTÉ)
Given their dominance of the Hurling Championship last year, it is almost inconceivable to think that neither Cork nor Clare have claimed a provincial title since the Rebels won Munster back in 2006. Clare have to go back another eight years, to 1998, for their last.
When Cork beat Clare in the corresponding fixture last year, they then lost to Limerick in the Munster final, and it is the Shannonsiders once again who await the winners of this tie in the provincial final on July 13.
It is impossible to think back on last year's All-Ireland final and replay, two utterly glorious closing chapters to the greatest season in the history of the Hurling Championship, without smiling. These truly are the good old days for the ancient game.
Now, nine months on would it be asking too much for a repeat of anything like the same drama? Probably, for when they met in the Munster semi-final last June with far less at stake, Cork cruised to an eight-point win in Thurles and not even the canniest of observers would have predicted they would meet again in September.
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The world and its mother knows what Cork and Clare are capable of now, and it will be fascinating to see how each has progressed and developed over the intervening period.
We've seen Cork in championship action twice already this summer, and the Rebels delivered two very contrasting performances against Waterford. Their spluttering performance in scraping a draw the first day now looks very much like a case of getting the dirty petrol out of the tank after a spring spent operating in third gear in Division IB when contrasted with their impressive 14-point win in Thurles last Sunday .
Cork have changed considerably in terms of their personnel from last September, with Tom Kenny and Brian Murphy - remember how well he shackled Tony Kelly in the corresponding game last year? - both now retired, while they have gained dual players Aidan Walsh, Alan Cadogan, Eoin Cadogan and Damien Cahalane.
Cork named their team on Thursday night , and manager Jimmy Barry-Murphy has opted for an unchanged line-up. The side features 10 of the players that started in last September's All-Ireland final replay defeat to Clare. Damien Cahalane, Mark Ellis, Aidan Walsh, Bill Cooper and Alan Cadogan are the five new faces, with Brian Murphy (retired), Conor O'Sullivan, Luke O'Farrell, Cian McCarthy and William Egan missing out.
Interestingly, Cork have an entirely new spine to their team, with Cahalane coming in at full-back, Ellis at centre-back, Walsh at midfield and Cooper at No. 11. Another major bonus is the return of Paudie O'Sullivan, who hit two points coming off the bench last Sunday after nearly 14 months out with a broken leg.
Clare manager Davy Fitzgerald has much the same squad to choose from, with his plans to have a look at some new talent in the Allianz League hampered by injuries to the likes of Bobby Duggan and Cathal O'Connell. The Banner County made it to the semi-finals of the competition but were beaten by Tipperary in the semi-final having struggled to overcome Laois in the last eight. However, spring form lines have to be viewed with some suspicion when it comes to Cork and Clare given they contested the top tier relegation play-off last spring before embarking on their summer adventures.
Podge Collins is expected to start in his usual role after he was omitted from the footballers' side to face Waterford in Dungarvan the night before . His older brother, Seán, has been included in the football team but is also expected to be in Davy Fitzgerald's squad in Thurles. Shane O'Donnell, Clare's hat-trick hero in the All-Ireland final replay, is set to miss out with a hamstring injury sustained in a club game last month.
Last year, Clare carried a huge element of surprise and it will be fascinating to see what new strategies Davy Fitzgerald has concocted to keep teams guessing for this summer's defence. In an interview carried on GAA.ie this week, Clare selector Louis Mulqueen touched on the Banner County's need to be 'creative' and to fine tune their game plan, which will no doubt have been studied and dissected by their opponents at this stage.
"If you watch the league this year, in some of the matches, there was no space," Mulqueen said. "We played two open All-Irelands last year. Pure hurling I would call it, ourselves and Cork. It was so open and skilful. Conor Lehane ran 60 yards and stuck it into our net; Conor McGrath ran 40 yards and stuck it into their net.
"If you were to play another team, it could be a totally different game plan. You could be closed down and wouldn't have that space. Like, there are certain teams around that wouldn't let that happen. What we did last year worked, but other teams have had six months to counteract it."
Much of the build-up to the game has been dominated by the new interpretation of rules regarding penalty pucks and 20-metre frees , which was rubber-stamped by Central Council on Thursday and will be in play on Sunday.
A victory for Clare would put them in a Munster final for the first time since 2008, while Cork are one step away from meeting Limerick in the provincial decider for the second year in a row. Either way, the chances are that one if not both of these sides will have a big say in the destination of the Liam MacCarthy Cup later in the year.
CORK: Anthony Nash; Shane O'Neill, Damien Cahalane, Stephen McDonnell; Christopher Joyce, Mark Ellis, Lorcán McLoughlin; Daniel Kearney, Aidan Walsh; Conor Lehane, Bill Cooper, Seamus Harnedy; Alan Cadogan, Patrick Cronin, Patrick Horgan.
CLARE: TBC
Preview: Brian Murphy
