Preview: Munster U21 - Cork v Waterford
Preview: Munster U21 - Cork v Waterford
Preview: Munster U21 - Cork v Waterford
Wednesday, June 17
BGE Munster U21 Hurling Championship Quarter-Final
Cork v Waterford, Páirc Uí Rinn, 7.30pm
The Munster U21 Hurling Championship gets underway this evening when Cork host Waterford in the quarter-final at Páirc Uí Rinn.
It's been an unusually long time since either county enjoyed much success at the grade - Cork's last Munster U21 title came in 2007, the longest they have gone without winning the competition since its inception in the 1960s, while Waterford have to go all the way back to 1994 for their last title.
However, there is considerable hope within Waterford for this year's U21 team. They are managed by Derek Lyons, who led the Déise to an All-Ireland minor title in 2013, and Lyons has brought in two legends of Waterford hurling as part of his backroom team - John Mullane and Tony Browne.
Browne was actually part of the last Waterford U21 generation to enjoy success. He was on the team that won an All-Ireland U21 title in 1992 and Munster U21 titles in 1992 and 1994, but recent history is heavily stacked against Waterford, as they haven't won a championship game at U21 level since reaching the Munster final in 2009.
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That bleak period has included some demoralising defeats. They registered just 1-3 in a 13-point defeat to Cork in 2010, were routed by Clare in 2012 (2-22 to 0-9) and last year, they suffered a heavy defeat to this evening's opponents Cork in the semi-final when they were widely expected to defeat the Rebels.
With a record like that, optimism around their prospects this year might seem like the fool's choice, but there are a lot of reasons to recommend them.
Firstly, their starting team for this evening, named earlier this week, is stacked with All-Ireland minor winners. Conor Gleeson, Micheál Harney, Shane Bennett, Austin Gleeson, Tom Devine, Stephen Bennett, DJ Foran, Cormac Curran and Patrick Curran were all part of Lyons' minor winning squad in 2013, and given they will all be eligible again next year at U21 level, the next couple of seasons look bright for Waterford at this grade.
Of those, Ballysaggart brothers Stephen and Shane Bennett, Tom Devine, Austin Gleeson and Patrick Curran all played in the Waterford seniors' win over Cork earlier this month, while they are joined on the U21 panel by Tadhg De Búrca and Colin Dunford, who also started the senior game against Cork and who are now in their last season at U21 level.
Anthony Spillane
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Given the achievements of the Waterford senior team so far this year, to have seven of them eligible for U21 level speaks volumes for their prospects, and it contrasts significantly with Damien Irwin's Cork team, which has a more inexperienced look to it.
Goalkeeper Patrick Collins and Anthony Spillane are both fringe members of Jimmy Barry-Murphy's senior panel, and both played in the 3-18 to 0-16 win over the Déise at the semi-final stage last year, with Spillane netting 2-1 in that victory. However, along with midfielder Rickard Cahalane, they are the only three players named on the team for tonight that played in last year's win over Waterford.
The Cork team has been depleted by injuries in advance of the game. Stephen Murphy, Dillon Cahill, Aaron Ward, Cathal Cormack, Barra O'Connell and Trevor Horgan are all ruled out with various complaints, while Peter Kelleher is unavailable as a result of his involvement with the Cork senior football squad.
Nonetheless, Waterford should be heavily on their guard tonight as a result of their experience last year. Built up heavily in advance of the game, a Waterford side featuring Dunford, Austin Gleeson, Jamie Barron and Jake Dillon was beaten by 11 points by the unfancied Rebels, who went on to lose the Munster final to Clare by 15 points.
The winners of this game will face Clare in the Munster semi-final on July 15, with the Banner County going for a record-equalling fourth All-Ireland U21 title in a row this season.
CORK: Patrick Collins; Darren Browne, Alan Dennehy, Seán O'Donoghue; Dave Noonan, Conor Twomey, Niall Cashman; Rickard Cahalane, Martin Brennan; Kevin O'Neill, Killian O'Connor, Darren Casey; Mark O'Connor, Anthony Spillane, Luke Meade.
WATERFORD: Billy Nolan; Shane McNulty, Kieran Bennett, Conor Gleeson; Micheál Harney, Tadhg de Búrca, Shane Bennett; Austin Gleeson, Tom Devine, Colin Dunford, Stephen Bennett, DJ Foran; Ryan Donnelly, Cormac Curran, Patrick Curran.
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