9. Cork will be hoping their senior contingent can pick themselves up after the setback of last Sunday’s Munster final defeat to Limerick.
Christopher Joyce and Conor Lehane both started in that game while Jamie Coughlan came on as a substitute. Patrick O’Mahony, Colm Spillane, Rob O’Shea, Brian Hartnett and Alan Cadogan are also part of the Cork senior panel.
8. Jason Forde is the main senior representative in this Tipperary line-up having come on as a substitute in the recent All-Ireland qualifier loss to Kilkenny in Nowlan Park. But both Tomas Hamill and Seamus Kennedy have been part of the extended panel for Eamonn O’Shea’s setup this year as well.
7. There are plenty players who featured in this season’s Fitzgibbon Cup final in action in tonight’s game. Back in March, UCC lifted that trophy with current Cork U21′s Brian Murray, Conor Lehane and Brian Hartnett having started for them in that final win while Barry Lawton came on as a substitute and both Diarmuid Lester and Mark Sugrue were unused substitutes.
On the Tipperary side, Andrew Ryan and Niall O’Meara played for the Mary Immaculate College side that lost out to UCC in that decider in Pearse Stadium, as did Cork full-forward Jamie Wall.
UCC’s Conor Lehane and Mary Immaculate’s Niall O’Meara Pic: INPHO/James Crombie
6. Tipperary manager Ken Hogan is presiding over the county’s U21 hurling fortunes for the fourth successive year. 2010 was the high point of his tenure to date when a Tipperary side that featured players like current senior stars Padraic Maher, Noel McGrath, Patrick Maher, Brendan Maher and Michael Cahill, demolished Galway in the All-Ireland final by 5-22 to 0-12.
5. Cork will have a group of players keen to atone for the disappointment of May’s All-Ireland U21 football final defeat to Galway. Damien Cahalane – currently a member of the Cork senior side – Alan Cadogan, Jamie Wall, Mark Sugrue and Kevin Hallissey all experienced that dejection in the Gaelic Grounds.
4. Tipperary have the benefit of a game already in this competition. They defeated Limerick in last month’s quarter-final tie by 2-18 to 2-11 with Jason Forde striking 1-8 and Aidan McCormack hitting 1-3 as the Premier produced a comprehensive victory at Semple Stadium.
Tipperary’s Liam McGrath during the semi-final win Pic: INPHO/James Crombie
3. Patrick Collins lines out tonight in goal for the Cork U21 hurlers. It’s a notable achievement as he is still eligible for the minor ranks and played between the posts for the Cork minor side already this season. They lost out to Waterford by 3-19 to 1-20 after extra-time in last month’s Munster minor semi-final.
2. The Tipperary trio of Seamus Kennedy, Niall O’Meara and Liam McGrath all played for the county U21 football side that lost out in the Munster final against Cork by 1-17 to 0-9 in Semple Stadium in April. Both Kennedy and McGrath were on the Tipperary side that won the 2011 All-Ireland minor football title with McGrath captaining the team.
1. Last June, these counties met in the Munster U21 quarter-final in Páirc Uí Chaoimh with Tipperary winning by 0-18 to 0-17. From the Premier side there are survivors in Andrew Ryan, Justin Cahill, Brian Stapleton and Niall O’Meara while Aidan McCormack and Tommy Heffernan came on as substitutes.
In the Cork camp there are survivors in Colm Spillane, Patrick O’Mahony, Daniel O’Mahony, Christopher Joyce, Damien Cahalane, Jamie Coughlan and Conor Lehane who all started while Brian Murray came on as a substitute. Current substitutes Nicky Kelly and Mark Sugrue started in that game while Kevin Kavanagh was introduced in that match.
Action from last year’s Cork and Tipperary clash.
INPHO
