Preview: All-Ireland SHC preliminary quarter-finals:
Saturday 15th June
All-Ireland SHC preliminary quarter-finals
Offaly v Cork in Glenisk O’Connor Park at 5.15pm – GAAGO
Offaly will be feeling good mentally about themselves after last weekend’s Joe McDonagh Cup Final win over Laois but it may have taken a physical toll.
Many of their players looked out on their feet in the final 10 minutes of the game so to keep pace with a Cork team blessed with speed won’t be an easy task.
When the teams met in the League last March Cork won comfortably, banging in five goals, and putting the shackles on Alan Connolly and his chums will be top of the Offaly to do list if they’re to make a game of this.
Cork make two changes to the team that defeated Tipperary in the final round of the Munster SHC three weeks ago.
Ethan Twomey and Seamus Harnedy have been ruled out by injury and are replaced in the starting XV by Ciaran Joyce and Conor Lehane.
Offaly also make two changes to the team that defeated Laois in the Joe McDonagh Cup Final last weekend as Ross Ravenhill and Oisin Kelly come in for Eimhin Kelly and Adam Screeney.
OFFALY: Mark Troy; Ben Conneely, Ciaran Burke, Cathal King; David King, Cillian Kiely, Donal Shirley; Jason Sampson, Ross Ravenhill; Killian Sampson, Dan Bourke, Oisin Kelly; Eoghan Cahill, Brian Duignan, Charlie Mitchell. Subs: Stephen Corcoran, Sam Bourke, Eimhin Kelly, Jack Clancy, Luke Watkins, Padraig Cantwell, Dara Maher, Paul Cleary, Jack Screeney, James Nally, Kieran Connors.
CORK: Patrick Collins; Niall O’Leary, Eoin Downey, Sean O Donoghue; Tim O’Mahony, Robert Downey, Mark Coleman; Ciaran Joyce, Darragh Fitzgibbon; Declan Dalton, Shane Barrett, Conor Lehane; Patrick Horgan, Alan Connolly, Brian Hayes. Subs: Brion Saunderson, Ger Mellerick, Cormac O’Brien, Tommy O’Connell, Luke Meade, Conor Cahalane, Shane Kingston, Jack O’Connor, Padraig Power, Sean Twomey, Robbie O’Flynn.
Laois v Wexford in Laois Hire O’Moore Park at 5pm
It’s going to be a big ask for Laois to recover physically and mentally from last weekend’s Joe McDonagh Cup Final defeat to Offaly for this clash with a well-rested Wexford.
The O’Moore County make three changes to the team that was defeated by Offaly with Donnchadh Hartnett, Eric Killeen, and Gearoid Lynch coming into the XV in place of Liam ‘Connell, Fiachra C Fennell, and James Duggan.
Wexford make just one change to the side that lost narrowly in their last Leinster SHC match three weeks ago against Kilkenny, with Simon Donohoe coming in for Liam Ryan.
Laois have impactful substitutes like Ross King, Stephen Maher, and Martin Phelan so will believe that if they can keep pace with Wexford for the first 45 minutes or so will be in with a chance.
It’s hard to look beyond a Wexford win though. They finished the Leinster championship very strongly and forwards like Lee Chin, Rory O’Connor, Conor McDonald and Cian Byrne are all in very good form.
LAOIS: Enda Rowland; Ian Shanahan, Ryan Mullaney, Donnchadh Hartnett; Diarmaid Conway, Padraig Delaney, Tom Cuddy; Aidan Corby, Eric Killeen; Gearoid Lynch, Patrick Purcell, David Dooley; Jer Quinlan, Aaron Dunphy, Tomás Keyes. Subs: Cathal Dunne, Fiachra C Fennell, Padraic Dunne, Noah Quinlan, John Lennon, Cody Comerford, Ross King, Martin Phelan, Stephen Maher, Stephen Bergin, James Duggan.
WEXFORD: Mark Fanning; Shane Reck, Conor Foley, Eoin Ryan; Simon Donohoe, Damien Reck, Matthew O’Hanlon; Conor Hearne, Richie Lawlor; Liam Og McGovern, Lee Chin, Cathal Dunbar; Cian Byrne, Conor McDonald, Rory O’Connor. Subs: Aaron Duggan, Kevin Foley, Tomás Kinsella, Seamus Casey, Charlie McGuckin, Niall Murphy, Darragh Carley, Joe O’Connor, Conor Devitt, Paudie Casey, Corey Byrne Dunbar.