Rebels looking to lay siege to Ennis in crunch Munster tie

BY JOHNNY CAROLAN

CORK manager Pat Ryan believes that the two-week lead-in to Sunday’s Munster SHC clash with Clare in Cusack Park (2pm) will have stood to the team.
Having opened their campaign with a win against Waterford on April 30th, the Rebels had to face Tipperary just six days later, coming back to earn a draw. Both games were in Páirc Uí Chaoimh and now Cork face two games in the mid-west, with Sunday’s clash in Enis followed by a trip to TUS Gaelic Grounds to meet Limerick on May 28th.
With a fortnight to prepare for this game, Ryan is optimistic.
‘Obviously we had a lot of preparation done for Waterford and some on Tipperary but the six-day turnaround is tough, in hindsight,’ he says.
‘You’re trying not to make an excuse out of it and things like that but it is a tough situation in terms of getting fellas prepared.
‘We’ve seen huge benefits in having the two weeks off since then, we’ve got a lot of work done with the lads’ recovery and the way we want to play against Clare.
‘We’re in a much better position going to play Clare than we were against Tipperary but it’s still a very tough game, away from home and we’ve seen how good Clare are going.
‘It’s a huge game, it’s almost knockout for both of us – whoever wins is in the knockout stages, that’s the way we’re looking at it.’
On the injury front, Cork will be without Robbie O’Flynn, forced off immediately after scoring a goal against Tipperary. His loss is offset slightly by the return of captain Seán O’Donoghue, unavailable since retiring from the Allianz Hurling League opener against Limerick in February.
‘Robbie’s out since the last day,’ he says, ‘he’ll be out for four-to-six weeks, so he’ll miss the Limerick game as well.
‘It’s disappointing for us but obviously it’s disappointing for him too after he got injured against Limerick in the league.
‘The one thing is that it gives somebody else an opportunity so we’ll see where that lies.
‘It’s testament to Seán and the effort he has put in to get back and to the medical staff too. He’s worked fierce hard to get himself fit so he’ll be in line for at least the 26 on Sunday.
‘Conor O’Callaghan is still out, he’ll be another two or three weeks, and Jack O’Connor is out too, he has a bone-stress injury that we just can’t get right.
‘He’s resting and then coming back training but it’s flaring up again. We’re trying to monitor that.’