MFC Semi-final: The chances of the minor All-Ireland final being a replay of the Leinster decider is looking more likely with Dublin expected to overcome Cork at Croke Park tomorrow.
Cork let the Munster final slip from their grasp when an inspired Kerry, subsequently felled by Laois last weekend, surprised them back in July. They recovered sufficiently to edge past Galway in the quarter-finals, 2-11 to 2-10, yet injuries to key players has disrupted their preparations.
Wing-back Gearóid O'Shea broke his leg and midfielder Alan O'Connor broke his thumb while both were playing hurling for their clubs.
Kevin Harrington and Joe Shanahan are the players introduced with a number of forced positional switches ensuing. Most notably, Fiontan Gould switches from centre forward to partner Patrick Kelly in centrefield.
Harrington comes in at left corner back with Niall Horgan moving out to left half back in place of O'Shea.
The loss of O'Connor is a huge blow as Dublin welcomes back their midfield colossus John Coughlan after recovery from the fractured cheekbone he sustained in the Leinster semi-final against Longford.
Despite these problems Cork do have Daniel Goulding at corner forward to ask the pertinent questions while a big performance is also required from their talisman Colin Weste. Unfortunately, he will have to outwit Dublin full back and captain Kian Cleere, the shining light throughout this year's campaign.
The metropolitans' style is similar to their senior counterparts, last summer at least, in the way they have a swagger about them in attack while Cleere and Gerard Brennan keep everything tight at the back.
Their forwards have developed a habit of getting on the scoresheet in every game with Barry Kennedy, Mark Vaughan and James Leahy all outstanding in the previous two outings. All in all it's Dublin's game to lose.
DUBLIN (MF v Cork): K Walsh; A Downes, K Cleere, W Lowry; D Reilly, G Brennan, I Ward; B Phelan, J Coughlan; M Vaughan, B Kennedy, G O'Mara; A Relihan, K Leahy, J O'Hara.
CORK (MF v Dublin): J Down; C Barrett, S O'Donoghue, K Harrington; M Shields, E Cadogan, N Horgan; P Kelly, F Gould; P Kerrigan, B Cotter, J Shanahan; D Goulding, C Weste, J Hayes.
