Irish Sport News, February 18, 1998

Examiner Irish Sport

Clarecastle aim to finish the job this time

A bit of history in the making as All-Ireland club hurling semi-finalists meet again

by Jim O'Sullivan
and Brendan Larkin
IT was a rarity, but not unique, to have one semi-final game drawn in the AIB All-Ireland club hurling championship two weeks ago.
But, when Clarecastle and Birr (whose game had a later starting time) also finished level in Thurles, it made a bit of history in the competition.
The Clare and Offaly champions return to action at Semple Stadium this afternoon at 3pm, while Dunloy and Sarsfields renew their rivalry in a Mullingar showdown tomorrow at 2.30pm.
The indications are that the Thurles game will be the more competitive — and the harder one to predict. The reasoning is that both teams definitely have the capacity to improve to the stage where they are almost guaranteed to produce another close contest.
My own view is that the Clare champions have the greater scope for improvement.
They had the better chance of winning in the first game, when they got on top nearing the three-quarters stage; backed by the wind.
However, they failed to make good use of the possession their backs were winning on a regular basis and, ultimately would have paid the penalty — but for Ken Ralph's dependability under pressure when converting a difficult late free in injury time.
Ralph ended up scoring 1-4 (four points from frees), which was a reasonably good return — but not for him personally, based on his form in earlier games. Additionally, Ger O'Loughlin didn't contribute much and neither did Alan Neville at centre-forward.
Looked at from a different perspective, Clarecastle would have scored more freely but for the excellence of the Birr covering and particularly the great leadership of Brian Whelehan at centre-back.
Second-half substitute Gary Hanniffy made the most important contribution ultimately and, in general, Birr used their substitutes more effectively. Clarecastle, on the other hand, started and finished with the same fifteen.
Replays rarely follow expected patterns but in this case I could not envisage either of these teams winning by anything more than six or seven points.
Clarecastle must improve on their finishing to win and, while there is no guarantee that they will, I feel that they will put on a better performance this time.
Dunloy's involvement in this year's AIB All-Ireland club senior hurling championship hasn't come as any great surprise to those closely involved with the club.
In 1994 they failed in the final after a replay to Birr - who are their opponents in tomorrow's semi-final replay in Mullingar. The following year they reached the All-Ireland final again but lost out to Sixmilebridge from Clare.
In the intervening time they have recruited the services of Justin McCarthy and Liam Griffin who have worked wonders with the players.
According to club PRO Tony Chivers both men have fine-tuned our hurling.
"Prior to the drawn semi-final we spent a weekend in Wexford with Griffin and it was of enormous benefit to the players," he said.
"Last Sunday Liam came up to Dunloy and 2 hours analysing our display against Birr on video. He then took the players out for a 3-hour training stint, and it will be no one's fault but our own if we fail tomorrow.
"The preparations have been first class and there is a tremendous air of confidence in the camp that we can reach our third final. Obviously we will have to improve in certain areas but Liam Griffin and Justin McCarthy had worked hard on our weaknesses and you will see a much improved Dunloy side tomorrow," he said.
Unfortunately the Northern champions will be without Nigel Elliott who tore a hamstring in the drawn game and it has not responded to treatment.
According to Tony Chivers he will be a huge loss, "but we have a big panel and it's an opportunity for Eamon McKee who comes instead of Elliott, to show his paces".
Dunloy are keeping their fingers crossed that their outstanding full-forward Gregory O'Kane, who scored 1-6 against Sarsfields two weeks ago, will pass a fitness test and then be allowed to play in the Saturday replay.
The Antrim inter-county star, a stalwart of the team, has been picked to play tomorrow, but will have to satisfy the selectors to see if he fit to line out, and will be required to undergo a fitness test prior to the big game .
"There is enormous interest in the game in Dunloy and the surrounding areas," said club Public Relations Officer Tony Chivers, "and we are expecting a huge following in Mullingar tomorrow".
"We are very much a family orientated club. The Elliotts, McMullans, O'Kanes are all household names with the team, and it would be a great boost for the game up in this part of the country if we were to win," he said.
The Dunloy club was founded in 1908 but it took them until 1990 to win their first Co Antrim senior hurling championship.
"The present senior team is a product of an outstanding under 14 Feile na nGael team we had a couple of years ago, and in fact 11 of that under 14 team will be involved tomorrow", added Tony.
DUNLOY: S. McElliott; S. McElhatton, P. Molloy, F. McMullan; S. McMullan, Gary O'Kane, S. Mullan; M. Molloy, T. McGrath; L. Richmond, C. McGuckian, E. McKee; J. Elliott, Gregory O'Kane, A. Elliott (Capt).

Kiwi Ellison happy to help Shannon kick their bad habit

by Charlie Mulqueen
AIL champions toast Rhys Ellison, the New Zealander they won in a raffle
Shannon star Rhys Ellison holds the strong view that a rugby ball should only be kicked in very special circumstances.
SHANNON watchers were taken aback when they saw their side run the ball out of their own 22 in the very first minute of their recent AIB League clash with Limerick rivals Garryowen.
Virtually every side in the competition, not just Shannon, would have chosen the safety of the touchline at that early stage of a crucial match. But a wind of change is blowing through the All-Ireland champions and it is being fanned by a 31 year-old New Zealander who has very strong views as to why the rugby ball should be kicked only in very special circumstances.
"The most obvious is to relieve pressure," says Rhys Ellison, ahead of today's clash against Old Belvedere in Dublin. "The only other time you should kick the ball is when you know you will be able to compete for it and win it back."
A tendency to kick far too much and without reason along with poor ball retention are the two major failings Ellison sees in the Irish game. He has a strong rugby pedigree and when he talks, it's wise to sit up and listen. The players and coaches he has come in contact with at Shannon certainly do.
"He has been a wonderful influence on our backs," agrees director of coaching Niall O'Donovan. "He has a great attitude and his experience has been a huge bonus for us this season."
Ellison hails from a little seaside town some 30 miles from Hamilton, Waikato, on New Zealand's North Island. He played his first game of rugby "at the age of four in bare feet, just like every other kid.
"Rugby was all, the only thing you thought of from the time you woke up in the morning 'till going to bed in the evening. The ideal was to be a part of rugby, the dream to play for the All Blacks."
Ellison didn't realise that dream. But he went very close. He played on the Hamilton Marist Schools team for three years when his skipper was none other than new Ireland coach Warren Gatland, who played at No.8.
Ellison went on to represent the New Zealand Secondary Schools for three years and toured Britain & Ireland, playing against Ireland in Cork. After school, it was to Otago University in Dunedin on South Island in pursuit of a law degree.
Even that, though, had to take second place to rugby. Lawrie Mains, who would later coach the All Blacks, held a similar post in Otago at the time and the football, not to mention the social life, was just up Ellison's alley!
"Those were great days," he says with a revealing smile. "I was picked by the Maoris, played for the South Island against the North and for Otago from 1986 to '89, several times against my native Waikato and Warren Gatland. I also played three All Black trials and for a time was number two to Joe Stanley at outside centre. I came pretty close."
You can tell that missing out on an All Black jersey still hurts. But Ellison is a lively, cheerful sort with little time for regrets.
He suggests he might never have qualified as a solicitor had he stayed in Otago, where life on and off the pitch was perhaps a little too good! So it was back to Waikato in 1990 and with that move, he suspects, went his chance of the coveted New Zealand place. By then, Mains was in charge of the All Blacks and you don't leave Otago for Waikato and get thanked for it!
He played some 150 provincial matches as well as more than 30 for the Maoris. One of those games stands out especially!
"It was against the Lions in 1993," he recalls. "We led 20-0 but were eventually beaten 23-20."
Little did he realise it but one of his opponents that day was a certain Mick Galwey! The pair were again on opposite sides a few weeks later, when Waikato took on the Lions at Hamilton in what was a black day for the tourists. A Waikato team including Ellison and Gatland, as well as Brent Anderson and John Mitchell, both of whom played for Garryowen, won by a massive 38-10. Among their opponents that day were Richard Wallace, who will be in the Irish side in Paris, and Galwey, who may very well be.
In those heady days, Ellison helped Waikato defeat an Auckland side containing 13 All Blacks for the Ranfurly Shield. Times were changing, though, and as a solicitor Ellison found himself handling the affairs of some 30 players with eyes on playing professional rugby abroad.
One day, he handled a request for the CV of a centre who might be interested in playing in Japan.
"I sent my own," says Ellison with a laugh. He was accepted and spent 12 happy months there.
He was only home a week or so when he was offered an overseas post. "This agent called and said Munster are looking for a centre. I replied 'What's Munster?' Anyway, he convinced me it was the right thing to do and only then told me they wanted me over there in three or four days."
That was early last September. Ellison decided to take the chance. He was no sooner here when he was plunged into the Munster team for a Heineken European Cup match against Harlelquins in London.
"I relished that challenge but it was a shock to realise we would be only playing against three teams in the European Cup," he says.
"We had a tough draw and though we played very well at times, didn't make it to the knock-out stages.
"I would prefer if there were no divisions and that you played all the other teams, just as happens in the Super Twelve."
So the European challenge fizzled out all too early and Ellison wondered what his next move should be. He was under contract to the Munster Branch, who told him that he would be going into a raffle that would choose which AIB League Division One side got his services.
"I saw nothing of that in my contract and didn't want it," Ellison admits.
"However, my luck held out and I got Shannon so it turned out okay."
Ellison was joined within a month of his arrival by his charming girlfriend Victoria. She plays in the centre for Old Crescent with whom she has already won the All-Ireland League. And that's more than Rhys can boast of, just yet anyway!
He has settled down happily in the many rugby-mad parts of his adopted city and is hugely popular in the Shannon club.
Ellison makes a point of learning something new wherever he goes.
He made a good fist of picking up the language in Japan, now he is learning to play the guitar under the tutelage of Siobhan O'Brien, daughter of Shannon's Brian. While he is fluent in the words of "There Is and Isle", he is busy picking up Irish songs as well.
The jury is still out on his level of progress!
As for the standard of club rugby here, Rhys believes it is lower than provincial football at home but higher than the club scene. He insists over and over that Irish players must resist the compulsion to kick ("you are only giving the ball away") and admits he is about the only Shannonman who agrees with the top four, semi-finals and final format to the AIL.
"I think it's a great concept and will be proven as such in time," he insists.
"There is pressure to perform and that's good. It's the way the Super Twelve and the New Zealand provincial championship is run."
As for the Irish team, he is at one with his clubmates in wondering at just what Mick Galwey has to do to win his place back.
"He has been outstanding and consistent with us," says Ellison.
"Nowadays we have lifting so second-rowers don't have to be so tall.
"The next All Black in the position will be 6 ft 3 or thereabouts. Nor is age a factor. Just look at Frank Bunce, he's 36. I played a lot of rugby with Zinzan Brooke and he's like a fine wine, he's a better player now than he ever was. Just like Mick Galwey".
Will we see any more of the dashing runs and crash tackles that have been so much part of Rhys Ellison and Shannon's success once the current campaign comes to an end?
"I would like to think so," says Ellison.
"I do enjoy it here and if offered another Munster contract I would probably say yes, although I would have a good look at it first."
You suspect that one raffle is one too many in this man's approach to life!

Fruitful opening day as Davoren reaches final

by Brendan Mooney
IRELAND has one athlete through to a final and two others in line after the first day of the European Indoor Championships in Valencia.
Freda Davoren (UCC) blazed to a new personal best time of 4.18.21 and fourth place in her heat of the 1500 metres. This was by far the fastest heat of the day and the two fastest losers both went through to tonight's final (6.15)
The UCC graduate decided on arrival in Valencia that it would be impossible to double up at 800 metres and 1500 metres and her decision to opt for the 1500 metres was proved right.
Going into the evening's final she now ranks fifth behind Theresia Kiesl (Austria) who heads the qualifiers with a time of 4.17.59.
The 32 year-old Austrian has broken her national record six times and has an outdoor best of 4.03.02. She was fifth in the European Indoor Championships in 1991.
Ireland's best chance of a medal must be in the men's 800 metres. Both David Mathews, the national record holder, and his UCD clubmate James Nolan finished second in yesterday's first round heats to qualify for this evening's semi-finals. Nolan's heat was won by G.J. Leifers in 1.48.74 with Nolan second in 1.49.04.
David Mathews finished second to the Olympic champion Vebjorn Rodal of Norway in 1.50.09. Rodal won the heat in 1.49.81 and goes through to the semi-finals as the favourite for the gold medal.
Ireland's other athlete in action yesterday was Lena Barry who equalled her personal best with a time of 7.48 seconds in the 60 metres but failed to make it through to the second round.
She will be in action again in this morning's first round heats of the 200 metres.
Those heats also introduce her University of Limerick colleagues Gary Ryan and Tom Comyns to the action. The heats start at 7.05 p.m.
Also in action today will be high jumpers Antoine Burke and Mark Mandy who go in the qualifying rounds this morning.
And Karen Shinkin goes in the semi finals of the 400 metres this afternoon, while Una English will be in action in the final of the 3000 metres at 4.35 p.m. tomorrow.
Urszula Wlodarczyk of Poland claimed the first gold medal of the championships by winning the pentathlon with a championship-best 4,808 points.
Poland have high hopes of a second gold today from sprinter Marcin Krzywanski.
Krzywanski set a personal best 6.53 seconds in winning the second semi-final of the men's 60 metres in the fastest time of the day.
Hosts Spain could be on course for medals in the men's 1,500 metres after Andres Diaz and Jose Redolat, were both impressive winners of their semi-finals.

Champions UCC going for three-in-a-row in Fitzgibbon Cup

by Brendan Larkin
WHEN Rev Fr Edwin Fitzgibbon first donated his famous cup in 1912, little did he realise then just how important it would become.
Confined then to the four universities the Fitzgibbon Cup became a prized capture and a medal was a cherished possession.
In recent years the organisers have thrown the competition open to the technical colleges and the Garda Training College with the result that the Fitzgibbon Cup has grown even more significant for the participants.
This afternoon, the Claughaun venue in Limerick hosts the two semi-final of this year's Fitzgibbon and a feast of hurling between the cream of Ireland's young hurlers is guaranteed.
First into action are the holders UCC who take on UCD at 1.15 p.m.
The defending champions, chasing their 38th title and their third in a row, will start favourites.
They are backboned by most of last year's winning side and will include inter-county seniors Dan Murphy, Joe Deane and Sean McGrath (Cork), Dave Bennett and Mark O'Sullivan (Waterford).
In their quarter-final UCC had to draw on all their experience to get the better of Cork IT and it was only in the closing minutes they pulled away for a four-point win.
The Enright brothers Eddie and Johnny, and last year's captain Kieran Morrisson will also be involved this afternoon, and it will take a top-class display from the Dubliners to get the verdict.
The second semi-final, involving Waterford IT and Garda College is a much more open affair.
The men in blue failed to UCC last year at the final stage and are desperately keen to reach the decider again and make amends.
Team coach Ken Hogan has put his charges through a rigorous training schedule which so far has yielded the results. Key players for them are Ollie Baker and Ronan O'Hara (Clare seniors), Kevin Long and Jimmy Smiddy (both of whom played minor and under 21 with Cork). There is an air of confidence in the Garda camp that this could be their year.
However Waterford, who have won the title twice before, in 1992 and 1995, are exceptionally good this season. They produced a near flawless display in beating Dublin IT last time out, and if they can reproduce that form, could well reach the final.
Top player for them is Henry Shefflin, a former Kilkenny minor who has been chalking up huge scores. He bagged 2-7 in the quarter-final and will have to be closely marked if Garda are to have any chance
Waterford IT are by no means a one-man team however. Andy Moloney (Tipperary senior), Chris McGrath, Alan Kelleher (who won an All-Ireland minor medal with Cork in 1995) can hold their own in any company.
Waterford will be fancied to reach the final where they should meet UCC, but such is the intensity and commitment in the Fitzgibbon, that form goes out the window.

Cork likely to qualify as Kildare face crucial tie

by Jim O'Sullivan
IT'S Cork footballers' turn to take a rest this weekend! In the final round of the Church & General National League, it will be Kildare. Both are strongly challenging for the top positions in Section D, but, only Larry Tompkins has the assurance that his team won't need assistance from any other team as long as Cork don't slip up. Down could finish up level on points with Kildare, and Clare are not without hope either. Like the other groups, it guarantees a hectic finale to the preliminary series.
Cork are in the best position to qualify. They have lost only one game (to Down), compared to the other leading teams. And, in their concluding round, they will play Wicklow, who haven't been too impressive.
Undoubtedly, the crucial tie tomorrow is in Hyde Park, where Roscommon take on Kildare. The Westerners are not without hope of making the top, but, it would need a particular combination of results to see several teams finish level on points. However, if they do manage to win they can put an end to Kildare hopes. These were quite buoyant until they conceded the points to Cork in Newbridge with the type of bad finishing which has plagued the county on and off over the last few years.
The counties haven't been in the same group for nine years and that adds to the attraction of the game. There is the added dimension that Kildare will include Dermot Earley at midfield, and he has been exciting a lot of interest with the form he has been showing in his first season with the team. Apart from him, Kildare have three outside players in their panel, Tipperary's Brian Lacey, Mick O'Dwyer's son Karl, and former Cork dual player Brian Murphy.
Clare, who beating Kerry in the McGrath Cup semi-final last weekend, can keep their hopes alive with a win over Waterford in Ennis.
And, while Waterford managed to push Cork into extra time in the other semi-final of the competition, they would not be in the same class as Clare when it comes to serious competition.
They last met in the League five years ago, when Clare won 2-14 to 0-11 and, the season before, Clare beat them 0-13 to 0-1.
Waterford are without a point, having won their last win against London (2-9 to 1-6), in the fourth round of last season's campaign.
Tipperary and Wicklow clashed two years ago, when the Leinster side won by six points, but home advantage this time could earn Tipp. a win, following victories over Roscommon, Waterford and Limerick.
Newry is the venue for the meeting of Limerick and Down, which will be the first since the League was re-organised nearly 30 years ago. Realistically, there can be only one outcome, with Down showing good form in recent months except for that hiccup against Clare in Ennis at the beginning of the month.
Competition for places in Section A is even more intense, with five counties Laois (9), Mayo (9), Galway (8), Leitrim (6) and Louth (6), in the running. Galway should not have any great difficulty in beating Carlow in Tuam, and with a game against Kilkenny (away) in the last round, they could very well finish on top.
That's because Mayo and Laois face testing games tomorrow, against Louth (in Drogheda) and Leitrim (Carrick-on-Shannon), respectively. Then, in the last round, they will be in direct opposition.

Causeway hoping to bridge 26-year gap

by Brendan Larkin
CAUSEWAY Comprehensive School hope to bridge a 26-year gap tomorrow when they play Beara Community School in the Munster vocational football final at Fitzgerald Stadium, Killarney. (2.30 p.m.).
Better known for their hurling prowess, Causeway caused a bit of a stir when they defeated the provincial and All-Ireland champions Cahirciveen in the county final.
The former champions had only three of last year's winning side available, but Causeway played some delightful football to win by a 3-14 to 1-7 scoreline.
Despite fielding a very young side, the Cahirciveen lads made all the early running and it was until Eoin Gibbons had Causeway's first goal in the 23rd minute that the North Kerry side took control.
Coach Willie Dowling has his side in great shape and if Patrick Dowling, Liam Boyle John Paul Leahy and Anthony Whelan are on song, the Beara side could be in for a torrid time.
However football in the Beara region is at an all time high following the successes of the division's under 21 and senior teams in winning their respective Cork county championship titles last year.
Five years ago the school side went all the way to win the All-Ireland title with a team that included Alan O'Regan and Donagh Wiseman, both of whose younger brothers, Sean and Enda, will be hoping to following in their footsteps on Sunday.
Beara were surprise winners of the Cork final last week when defeating Clonakilty by a point.
Clon reached the junior All-Ireland final last year and with the bulk of that side available, were confidently expected to have a good senior season.
The strength of this Beara team lies in their defence where Brian Walsh and Turlough Daly are commanding figures.
O'Regan, Wiseman, Fintan O'Sullivan and Alan Harrington will also spearhead their challenge.
The Kerry/Cork rivalry should add a little bit more spice to what promises to be a marvellous final.

Critical times for Kerry hanging on to the league

by Jim O'Sullivan
AT the outset, it was regarded as the toughest of the four groups in the Church & General National Football League, and it has proved to be.
Section C includes dual champions Kerry, along with Offaly and Cavan, Connacht runners-up Sligo and Dublin. It's completed by Monaghan, Tyrone and Wexford.
The campaign to date has produced unexpected results and the stage has been reached where Kerry will not only be excluded from the premier division next season, but could end up in one of the lower groupings unless they put an end to their losing sequence.
There was hope of a revival prior to the fourth-round game, except they lost to Tyrone in Killarney by a three points margin. Now, with a difficult away game to Monaghan in Clones tomorrow and another against Dublin in the concluding round, they find themselves in a precarious position.
From the management point of view, it would be acknowledged that a series of defeats, could be damaging to morale all round.
Kerry's situation, however, is no different from many teams which have won or lost All-Ireland finals over the last couple of decades.
Take Down: after winning the 1994 title, they just managed to win in their subsequent League campaign, suffering an embarrassing 1-7 to 0-1 defeat at the hands of Dublin in the sixth round, and dropped down three divisions in consecutive seasons. It's the inevitable cost of excessive effort over a whole year, combined with the demands on leisure activity linked to winning an All-Ireland.
What it does bring into focus is the contrast between winning a title one year and being able to successfully defend it the next.
Kerry and Monaghan haven't met in the League for nine years. That was in Tralee when goals from Eoin Liston, Michael McAuiliffe and Jack O'Shea earned a home win at 3-3 to 0-8.
Only Maurice Fitzgerald of the current panel was involved, at right half-forward. The year before, in Clones, Monaghan won by a point, 0-10 to 0-9, with new manager Eamonn McEneaney the top scorer with 0-5, operating at midfield.
Monaghan played very impressively in their game with Dublin in Parnell Park, when goals from midfielder Cyril Ronaghan and wing-forward Darren Swift proved crucial. McEneaney admitted earlier in the week that it was the team's best performance since his take-over.
Now, the incentive to beat the reigning League and championship holders is even greater for the Northerners. Unless Kerry can achieve a significant improvement on their display against Tyrone, they won't win.
Offaly lead the group with nine points, followed by Tyrone (8) and Monaghan (7), and it would appear that Offaly will gain the top spot.
The last time that Offaly met Cavan, in the 1993-'94 competition, they won by two points but, given the present strength of the team, they should be capable of winning more comfortably this time.
Cavan have not been able to build on their Ulster final success, being unfortunate to face a full-strength Kerry in New York, as well as being in a limbo period following the resignation of manager Martin McHugh and the appointment of former Down star Liam Austin in his place.
The Dungannon clash of Tyrone and Dublin looks intriguing. Tommy Carr's difficult task in re-vitalising Dublin will take time and, in the short term the management's inability to put out their strongest team is making it that bit more difficult. Under the guidance of Mickey Whelan, they managed a win over Wexford, before beating Cavan, with selector Lorcan Redmond in charge.
They will find it hard to win tomorrow, and possibly the best they can hope for is to finish off with a victory over Kerry, which would give the team some bit of prestige.
Sligo, beaten by Tyrone and held to a draw in the meetings with Monaghan and Offaly, are making steady progress since the Connacht final and they should improve their position with a win over Wexford in Enniscorthy. These teams met two years ago, when Wexford (then more established), won easily, 4-11 to 1-8.
Former star Declan Bonner is arguably the most successful of the new managers so far, with Donegal unbeaten in Section B.
Tomorrow, they travel to play Casement Park to take on Antrim. And, they were also successful the last time they clashed in the League, six years ago. For Antrim, it's proving a continuing struggle in football, with the county limited to just four wins in the championship over the last 25 years.
Given that they will finish their programme with a game against London, Donegal are as good as certain to make the quarter-finals.
Derry and Meath, even on seven points, meet in Celtic Park, where Derry have had a good record.
The likelihood is that if they win they will gain the runners-up spot in the group, with a home game in the last round against Armagh, who are also strongly in contention.
Armagh, leading goal-scorers overall in the competition with 14, look like being too strong for Longford at the Athletic Grounds, while home venue today could mean the difference to Westmeath, beating London at Castletown Geoghegan.

Double assignment

IT'S double duty for the Cork camogie teams tomorrow when the juniors and seniors travel to the Ragg to meet Tipperary in the National League.For the seniors it's the first game in the defence of their League title whilst the juniors will be playing a third round tie.
After last season's marvellous success it's now back to basics for the senior team and they must try and put their success behind them and plan ahead for the new season. Tomorrow's game will, hopefully, be a first step in retaining their title.
Cork will have to be on their guard against a Tipperary side who are Intermediate All Ireland champions and who gave Cork a mighty run when the sides last met in the Munster Championship.
They will be without the services of Noelle Kennedy and Deirdre Hughes, both out of the country on holiday, but in the side will be the experienced Triona Bonnar and Maeve Stokes, whilst Clare Madden and Susan Kelly are also available.
Cork, League and All Ireland champions, will be without the services of that great stalwart Sandy Fitzgibbon who has definitely called it a day at inter county level. However, like their opponents, Cork will also be anxious to gain the points.
Unlike the seniors the Cork juniors have already played two games in the National League and are on full points following victories over Kilkenny and Clare and a win tomorrow would more than likely see them qualify from their section.
For Tipperary it's their second game with a victory over Clare already under their belts.
Cork won a wonderful Munster Junior Championship last season and were unlucky to meet a superb Antrim side in the All Ireland final. This season hopes are high and with the talent of Murren Harrington, Niamh O'Regan and Emma Harte all on their side Cork should overcome the Tipperary challenge tomorrow.
The home side will feature several minor players who have enjoyed marvellous under age success. Alice Deane, Louise Ryan, and Niamh Connolly are all excellent players who will also be anxious to grab points to keep on course.

Nenagh sink Fermoy

Nenagh Vocational School 3-14
Colaiste Chraobhin, Fermoy 1-5
A GOAL in the third minute from Eamon Murtagh helped send Nenagh Vocational School into the final of the Munster Vocational Schools senior hurling championship at Emly yesterday.
The Fermoy lads never recovered from that setback.
Nenagh raced into a 2-9 to 1-1 interval lead with Hugh Flannery getting their second goal and Brian O'Leary raising a green flag for their opponents.
Nenagh continued to hold firm on the change of ends with Ken Hackett and Ken Hall dominant in the middle of the field.
Paul McGrath had a number of points for them and then sealed it with a third goal. The best that Fermoy could offer in a low key second half was four points.
Nenagh will now meet Kanturk in the final.
Scorers for Nenagh V.S.: P. McGrath 1-7, K. Hall 0-5, H. Flannery and E. Murtagh 1-0 each, R. Tynan, D. Cowen 0-1 each.
For Fermoy: B. O'Leary 1-1, O. O'Neill 0-3, M. O'Farrell 0-1.
NENAGH: M. Ryan, T. Delaney, P. Sherlock, T. Hassett, S. O'Meara, D. Hackett, S. Quirke, K. Hackett, K. Hall, R. Tynan, D. Corbett, H. Flannery, P. McGrath, E. Murtagh, G. Slattery. Sub. D. Cowen for McGrath.
FERMOY: S. Condon, T. Drislane, O. O'Neill, D. Dingavin, P. McCarthy, A. Kenny, A. McCormack, T. Roche, T. Feeney, J. Cahill, M. O'Farrell, B. Gill, T. Kenny, B. O'Leary, B. Walsh.
Referee: J. Ryan (Cashel).