A last-gasp goal from Noel Galvin handed Cork a dramatic victory over Tipperary in the Cadbury Munster under 21 football final at Semple Stadium. It was heartbreak once again for Tipp who crashed to their third consecutive provincial final defeat in this grade. Cork, who hammered both Kerry and Waterford en route to the final, played the entire second half with 14 players after Chris O'Donovan was sent off late in the first half, and looked set for a shock defeat when Tipp struck two goals within nine minutes of the restart.

Former dual star Denis Walsh has been installed as the new Cork hurling manager. The St. Catherine's clubman was named as Gerald McCarthy's successor tonight after being chosen by the three-man selection committee comprising Jimmy Barry-Murphy, John Fenton and Denis Coughlan. Like outgoing selector Teddy McCarthy, he holds the distinction of having won All-Ireland hurling and football medals in the same year (1990). Walsh previously managed the Waterford footballers from 2001 to 2003, and has also managed his club. 1990 All-Ireland winning captain Tomas Mulcahy had also been strongly linked with the post, but it's believed his TV and club committments (he is currently managing Glen Rovers) ruled him out.

Entire seasons can change in a couple of minutes. Yesterday, after months of controversy, Cork turned up to an Allianz National Hurling League fixture with, for the first time, a recognisable team. By the 58th minute, Clare were beginning to coast, going clear by 0-16 to 1-7, as Cork struggled along with 14 players after Niall McCarthy’s red card 10 minutes earlier. From the 63rd minute, however, the match, its destination apparently clear, simply hurtled into reverse gear. Clare, visibly on top and drawing fouls like confetti compared to their opponents, suddenly couldn’t buy a free while Cork doubled their total in 15 minutes – including a hefty five of injury-time – without response for a four-point win that places Clare in severe danger of relegation. Their dismay at this outcome must have been intensified by the manner in which simple errors contributed so handsomely to their undoing. Jonathan Clancy whose hard work and even harder running had been impressive, miss-hit a clearance to Ben O’Connor who stuck it over the bar.

Cork moved clear at the top of the Division Two table with a 1-16 to 0-7 victory over off-colour Wexford at Pairc Ui Chaoimh. An official attendance of just 528 was on hand as Conor Counihan's men maintained both their unbeaten run and their promotion charge. Paul Kerrigan's third-minute goal set the tone for a convincing win over a Wexford side that remains rooted pointless at the bottom of the Division Two table. The unbeaten Rebels led by 1-3 to no score after 13 minutes, as the Model County's league woes gathered pace. Without top scorer Donnacha O'Connor on board and with the pressure of a possible strike well and truly lifted, Cork started and finished like they meant business.

Cork followed up last weekend's emphatic victory over Kerry with another comfortable win over Waterford at Pairc Ui Rinn to qualify for the Cadbury Munster under 21 football final. John Cleary's charges didn't have it all their own way early on as Waterford took the lead through midfielder Sean O'Hare in the seventh minute. But after midfielder Colm O'Neill opened the Rebels' account, they took control and three unanswered points from Shane McCarthy and a double from O'Neill helped them to a 0-11 to 0-3 lead at half-time. It continued to be one-way traffic in the second half with David Goold, Ciaran Sheehan and O'Neill adding points for the rampant home side. Waterford finished the stronger, with corner forward James O'Mahony adding four points to his total, but the game had long ended as a contest by then. Cork will meet Tipperary in the provincial decider after they accounted for Clare by 2-5 to 0-9 in yesterday's other semi-final.

Cork interim manager John Considine was last night able to name the county’s strongest team of the season to date, as the 2008 panel returned to duty. The team to play Clare in Ennis on Sunday shows five changes from that which lost to Kilkenny in last August’s All-Ireland semi-final. Not selected are: Diarmuid O’Sullivan, still on a break from the game and playing rugby, Joe Deane, Brian Murphy, Seán Ó hAilpín and Jerry O’Connor, none of whom, for various reasons, is fit to play. Of the replacements, corner back Conor O’Sullivan, in for Murphy, is the only one to have played in this season’s campaign. Others coming in are former All-Ireland under-21 winning footballer Eoin Cadogan at full back in place of O’Sullivan, Kevin Hartnett for Ó hAilpín and Kieran Murphy indirectly for O’Connor. Considine has had only a couple of nights to assemble a training panel, and whereas he has retained some of the players used by McCarthy in Cork’s winless campaign to date, club matches played on Tuesday have already taken their toll. Ray Ryan, one of the more impressive of the inexperienced players called up by McCarthy, broke his thumb and will be out for around four weeks.

Cork remain unbeaten in Division 2 of the NFL following this impressive double-scores victory over Laois at O'Moore Park last night. The outcome was never in any doubt, with the visitors' being superior in every department. Despite the return of a number of key players to their side, Laois' only shining light for the second weekend in-a-row was free-taker Michael John Tierney, who accounted for all but two points of their tally. Cork came flying out of the traps and led 0-7 to 0-1 after 22 minutes with Donncha O'Connor and John Hayes scoring 0-4 and 0-2 respectively. The introduction of Kevin Meaney for the injured Billy Sheehan sparked a mini-revival from the home side which saw them reduce the deficit to four points. But a converted free from Hayes ensured the Rebels of a 0-10 to 0-5 interval lead.