Offaly v Cork: Ciarán Joyce and Conor Lehane come in to Rebels’ team

Ciarán Joyce returns to the Cork team at midfield as one of two changes for Saturday’s All-Ireland SHC preliminary quarter-final tie against Offaly.

Since making his senior debut in 2022, the Castlemartyr man had been ever-present in the Rebels’ half-back line until a hamstring injury ruled him out of the Munster SHC clash with Limerick in May. While he was back in the squad for the win against Tipperary a week later, he was not called upon but Ethan Twomey, who was making his third straight start at centrefield, was forced off just before half-time following a clash of heads with Ronan Maher.

The St Finbarr’s man remains out as a precaution and Joyce comes in to partner Darragh Fitzgibbon. The other switch in the startling lineup sees Conor Lehane start his first game since the opening-round Munster defeat to Waterford in April – the Midleton man replaces Séamus Harnedy, who has a slight knock.

With Joyce and Lehane gone from the list of substitutes from the victory over Tipp on May 19, two injury returnees are included. 

Blarney’s Pádraig Power, who had been a long-term injury absentee with a shoulder problem, makes his first matchday squad of the year.

Robbie O’Flynn (Erin’s Own) was used as a sub against Waterford and Clare before succumbing to a hamstring injury in the wake of the latter and he is also back in the mix.

There is one additional change, with Cormac O’Brien of Newtownshandrum added to the replacements as Eoin Roche misses out. Damien Cahalane remains unavailable with the calf injury sustained a few days before the Tipp game while Brian Roche is still absent, too.

The game is Cork’s first in four weeks – by contrast, Offaly come into the clash at Glenisk O’Connor Park (5.15pm) on the back of last Saturday’s Joe McDonagh Cup win over Laois. 

For some members of Johnny Kelly’s panel who were also part of the successful All-Ireland U20 hurling title-winning team, it will be a ninth match across both grades since April 21.

The counties met in Tullamore in the Allianz Hurling League Division 1 Group A in March, when Alan Connolly marked his first Cork start since June 22 with a hat-trick of goals as Pat Ryan’s team won by 5-28 to 0-16. The Blackrock man registered three more goals in the next league game against Wexford and repeated the trick in the last Munster round-robin match against Tipperary.

The 3-30 Cork scored that day against Tipp’s 1-21 meant that the Rebels finished with a total of 11-107 scored – the total of 140 was 18 greater than the next-best tally, Limerick’s 8-98, but the 9-98 that Cork conceded was only outweighed by Tipp’s 10-102.

Maintaining the dangerous offence while tightening up at the back will be the key objective as they reset for the All-Ireland series, with a quarter-final with Dublin next Saturday the prize if they do overcome the challenge of the Faithful County.

CORK (All-Ireland SHC v Offaly): 

Patrick Collins (Ballinhassig); 

Niall O’Leary (Castlelyons), Eoin Downey (Glen Rovers), Seán O’Donoghue (Inniscarra, c); 

Tim O’Mahony (Newtownshandrum), Robert Downey (Glen Rovers), Mark Coleman (Blarney); 

Ciarán Joyce (Castlemartyr), Darragh Fitzgibbon (Charleville); 

Declan Dalton (Fr O’Neills), Shane Barrett (Blarney), Conor Lehane (Midleton); 

Patrick Horgan (Glen Rovers), Alan Connolly (Blackrock), Brian Hayes (St Finbarr’s).

Subs: 

Brion Saunderson (Midleton), Ger Millerick (Fr O’Neills), Cormac O’Brien (Newtownshandrum), Tommy O’Connell (Midleton), Luke Meade (Newcestown), Conor Cahalane (St Finbarr’s), Shane Kingston (Douglas), Jack O’Connor (Sarsfields), Pádraig Power (Blarney), Seán Twomey (Courcey Rovers), Robbie O’Flynn (Erin’s Own).