![\"Cork's](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/5058458_3_articleinlinemobile_HC_20MMHC_20Waterford_20Cork_202-2.jpg\" "\\"Cork's")
Cork’s Leo Hennessy tries to battle his way past Waterford’s Conor Power and Joseph McDonnell during the Fulfil Munster U20HC game at Cappoquin Logistics Fraher Field a fortnight ago. Picture: Howard Crowdy<\/p>\nBarry Walsh returns to the Cork team for Wednesday’s Fulfil Munster U20HC clash with Clare at SuperValu P\u00e1irc U\u00ed Chaoimh.<\/p>\n
Senior commitments precluded the Killeagh attacker from featuring in the win over Waterford a fortnight ago but he is back, with Jack O’Brien dropping to the bench.<\/p>\n
The round-robin section of the provincial campaign concludes with the Rebels hosting the Banner\u00a0 while Tipperary travel to Limerick at the same time. Both sides are sure of advancing to the knockout stage, but both – and Tipp – are battling for top spot and a direct route to the Munster final.<\/p>\n
While much of the jeopardy is removed, or at least reduced, Cork manager Noel Furlong still wants his side to treat the clash as a knockout game.<\/p>\n
The worst-case scenario for Cork is an away semi next week but Furlong is keen to ensure his players put in a good performance to give them a chance of securing the result they need.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are a few different ways of looking at it,\u201d he says, \u201cbut the way that we\u2019re processing it is that it\u2019s a massive game in terms of our season.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re looking at it as a knockout game, an opportunity to reach a Munster final. We\u2019re playing a very good team but we\u2019re at home and we\u2019re approaching it in terms of giving it everything we have.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cork opened their campaign with a two-point defeat to Tipperary \u2013 a match in which they had to play the entire second half with 14 players \u2013 and then, after seeing off Limerick with a four-goal haul, ground out an impressive 0-16 to 0-13 win away to Waterford in difficult conditions a fortnight ago.<\/p>\n
The time since has been put to good use.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s gone very well, as you\u2019d expect,\u201d Furlong says.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe lads have the kind of confidence that comes from playing well and, with one to go, they\u2019re the top scorers in the round-robin.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom the point of view of the management, when we see the spirit, the character, the togetherness of the panel, it\u2019s very pleasing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThankfully, there were no injuries coming out of the Waterford game and we\u2019ve been able to work on a few things in training. We\u2019re in a good place.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cork’s Leo Hennessy tries to battle his way past Waterford’s Conor Power and Joseph McDonnell during the Fulfil Munster U20HC game at Cappoquin Logistics Fraher Field a fortnight ago. Picture: Howard Crowdy<\/p>\n
Cork\u2019s win in Dungarvan was Waterford\u2019s third defeat but by an aggregate of just five points. While a win for them over Limerick last week was not enough to avoid elimination, their story shows the tight nature of the championship.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere have been eight matches played so far,\u201d Furlong says, \u201cand seven of them have been one-score games [Cork\u2019s 4-18 to 0-21 triumph against Limerick].<\/p>\n
\u201cClare have won all three games so far and when a team is coming out on the right side of tight matches every time, it shows you how good they are.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey won the minor All-Ireland three years ago and we know that they\u2019re going to be huge opponents but at the same time, we\u2019re massively looking forward to the challenge.<\/p>\n
\u201cLike last year, we\u2019ve got better and better as the year has gone on and the lads are determined to give a good account of themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n CORK (Munster U20HC v Waterford): Ois\u00edn Walsh (Youghal); Denis Fitzgerald (Bride Rovers), Matthew Barrett (Carrigtwohill), Darragh Heavin (Russell Rovers); Michael Tadhg Brosnan (Glen Rovers), Colm Garde (Lisgoold), David O\u2019Leary (Ballincollig); Ben Walsh (Killeagh), Conor Noonan (Kanturk); Zack Biggane (Charleville), Johnny Murphy (Dromina), Barry O\u2019Flynn (Sarsfields, captain); Finn O\u2019Brien (Erin\u2019s Own), Barry Walsh (Killeagh), James O\u2019Brien (Cloyne).<\/p>\n
\n Subs: Tom Walsh (Aghada), Rian O\u2019Riordan (Blackrock), Johnny Galvin (\u00c9ire \u00d3g), Jack Counihan (Watergrasshill), John Murphy (Mallow), Jack O\u2019Brien (Douglas), Cormac Deane (Killeagh), Craig O\u2019Sullivan (Na Piarsaigh), Mark O’Brien (Douglas)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Barry Walsh returns to the Cork team for Wednesday’s Fulfil Munster U20HC clash with Clare at SuperValu P\u00e1irc…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":422397,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[42,43,40,38,41,39],"class_list":["post-422396","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/422396","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=422396"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/422396\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/422397"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=422396"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=422396"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=422396"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}