
Cork hurlers close in on league final but footballers suffer serious reality check
From The Echo Sport Podcast by The Echo
March 2, 2026 · 33 min
About this episode
The episode discusses the Cork hurlers' recent league victory and the struggles of the football team in their promotion race.
The Cork hurlers secured only their second league win at Nowlan Park since 1987 after an impressive showing in desperate conditions. In what was arguably the Rebels' most impressive performance and result this spring, they returned from a mid-league game with the right attitude and a serious goal threat. The three green flags raised by Brian Hayes and rookies Barry Walsh and Alan Walsh (no relation!) were decisive and Cork could afford a missed penalty by Alan Connoly and another handful of chances wasted. The new faces included goalkeeper Paudie O'Sullivan and Hugh O'Connor, in his first start, but the likes of Seán O'Donoghue, Tim O'Mahony, Ciarán Joyce and Tommy O'Connell were powerful in an arm-wrestle on Noreside. Cork were short a host of regulars, including Shane Barrett, Seamus Harnedy, Diarmuid Healy, Mark Coleman, Declan Dalton and Rob Downey, but competition for places is clearly starting to intensify. They're off to Limerick on Saturday night but the chances are the rivals will collide in the league final and before their April Munster championship showdown at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh. Don't expect either side to give too much away next weekend at the Gaelic…
People in this episode
Hosts: Barry Walsh, Ciarán Joyce
Topics covered
- Cork hurling
- league final
- football performance
- sports analysis
- team dynamics
Keywords
- Cork hurlers
- league final
- footballers
- Derry
- promotion race
Mentioned in this episode
Places: Cork, Nowlan Park, Limerick, Derry, Kildare, Tyrone, SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh
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- What a week to be a Cork GAA fan! · May 25, 2026 · 36 min
- How will Cork hurlers cope in Darragh Fitzgibbon's absence · May 18, 2026 · 35 min
- Cork footballers frustrate fans in Killarney but hurlers show true grit. · May 11, 2026 · 40 min
- How do Cork hurlers solve their injury issues and can footballers finally beat Kerry? · May 4, 2026 · 34 min
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