CORK HURLING MANAGER Kieran Kingston expects to have a full squad to choose from for Sunday week’s All-Ireland SHC semi-final against Waterford in Croke Park.
The Rebels named the same starting 15 for each of their three Munster championship games and, while attacker Luke Meade missed the provincial U21 semi-final and final against Waterford and Limerick respectively due to a broken finger, Kingston hopes he will be available.
“Luke Meade is on the way back,” he said.
“He had a small operation on his finger and he is due back full training tomorrow night. He is looking good. When I say looking good, we’ll see how he is. He’d be hopeful he’d be okay.
“It was his small finger. There were pins and wires which he got put in there three weeks ago, he got it done just after the Munster final.
He should be fine as it is only his small finger. But he had to get it done at the same time.
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“We’ve a couple of guys with knocks but nothing that means we are ruling out anyone. You’ve nearly another two weeks of training so there is always a risk. But at the moment, we are more or less okay.”
“I didn’t see the incident so I can’t really comment on it,” he said.
“We haven’t discussed it. Nobody likes a player missing an All-Ireland semi-final. No player likes missing an All-Ireland semi-final. We would be the same.
You always run the risk of losing someone from a training-ground injury. Every game you go out, there is always the risk that you won’t have your full compliment. That’s just part and parcel of it.”
In 2014, Kingston was the Cork coach as they lost to Tipperary in the All-Ireland semi-final after winning Munster. Trying to deal with the five-week lay-off since the Munster final is a challenge, but Kingston isn’t over-emphasising it either.
James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
“We won’t be using the excuse of the five-week break if we don’t perform on the day,” he said.
“We’ve been trying to manage it as best we can. Players went back to their clubs for the first couple of weeks. Some played league with their club, others played championship. A third of our panel were away with the Cork U21s for two weeks.
“They’ve played two championship matches since our Munster final. It has been a good mix. “We will have had two and a half weeks of a full squad come the game against Waterford and that is exactly the same period of time we had for all three games in Munster.”
Finger op puts Meade back in frame as Cork hope to remain unchanged for SHC semi clash with Waterford
CORK HURLING MANAGER Kieran Kingston expects to have a full squad to choose from for Sunday week’s All-Ireland SHC semi-final against Waterford in Croke Park.
The Rebels named the same starting 15 for each of their three Munster championship games and, while attacker Luke Meade missed the provincial U21 semi-final and final against Waterford and Limerick respectively due to a broken finger, Kingston hopes he will be available.
“Luke Meade is on the way back,” he said.
“He had a small operation on his finger and he is due back full training tomorrow night. He is looking good. When I say looking good, we’ll see how he is. He’d be hopeful he’d be okay.
“It was his small finger. There were pins and wires which he got put in there three weeks ago, he got it done just after the Munster final.
“We’ve a couple of guys with knocks but nothing that means we are ruling out anyone. You’ve nearly another two weeks of training so there is always a risk. But at the moment, we are more or less okay.”
Kingston sympathises with the situation of Waterford’s Tadhg de Búrca, who is facing a suspension for the game following a red card in the quarter-final win over Wexford. He isn’t in a position to offer an opinion on whether the Déise sweeper was dealt with fairly or not, though.
“I didn’t see the incident so I can’t really comment on it,” he said.
“We haven’t discussed it. Nobody likes a player missing an All-Ireland semi-final. No player likes missing an All-Ireland semi-final. We would be the same.
You always run the risk of losing someone from a training-ground injury. Every game you go out, there is always the risk that you won’t have your full compliment. That’s just part and parcel of it.”
In 2014, Kingston was the Cork coach as they lost to Tipperary in the All-Ireland semi-final after winning Munster. Trying to deal with the five-week lay-off since the Munster final is a challenge, but Kingston isn’t over-emphasising it either.
“We won’t be using the excuse of the five-week break if we don’t perform on the day,” he said.
“We’ve been trying to manage it as best we can. Players went back to their clubs for the first couple of weeks. Some played league with their club, others played championship. A third of our panel were away with the Cork U21s for two weeks.
“They’ve played two championship matches since our Munster final. It has been a good mix. “We will have had two and a half weeks of a full squad come the game against Waterford and that is exactly the same period of time we had for all three games in Munster.”
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Cork Deise digit enhanced GAA KIERAN Kingston Luke Meade Waterford