Sport

Forde ruled out as Clare make two changes

Clare have made two enforced changes for Sunday's Munster hurling final replay at Semple Stadium, Thurles

By SEAN KILFEATHER
Wed Jul 15 1998 - 01:00

Clare have made two enforced changes for Sunday's Munster hurling final replay at Semple Stadium, Thurles. Waterford make just one change - at corner forward - but will be relieved that their main worry, full back Sean Cullinane, has been passed fit.

Out because of suspension following his sending-off late in last week's drawn match, is P J O'Connell while David Forde has not recovered from a worrying eye injury and will not play either. Into the side come Conor Clancy for O'Connell at centre forward and Danny Scanlon who fills Forde's place at right half forward. Forde received the eye injury after 44 minutes of the match and was replaced by Clancy. Fergal Tuohy and Ger O'Loughlin, who also came in as substitutes last Sunday, revert to the bench. However, O'Loughlin is again expected to play a part at some stage on Sunday.

Cullinane passed a fitness test at training last night and will again feature at full back after limping off with a hamstring injury last Sunday.

The only change in the Waterford team sees Michael White, who came into the side as a substitute for Dave Bennett last Sunday, retain his place but at the expense of the veteran Billy O'Sullivan at corner forward. There has been considerable controversy over the sending-off of O'Connell. Although television replays showed that O'Connell's hurley had connected with Fergal Hartley's upper body, some supporters believe that the Waterford manager, Gerald McCarthy, had played a part in influencing the referee Willie Barrett's decision.

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The growing popularity of hurling was again epitomised on Sunday when a crowd of 51,417 watched the Munster final. It was the highest hurling attendance of the year to date and was almost 8,000 higher than last year's Clare-Tipperary final.

The GAA has confirmed that the draw for the quarter-finals of the All-Ireland series will take place in the Anner Hotel in Thurles after the match and will be shown on RTE television.

The replay will not be shown live, however. RTE have contractual obligations to show the Connacht and Ulster finals next Sunday although highlights of the hurling replay will be shown on Sunday night. The Ulster football final between Donegal and Derry has a 2.40 start and the Connacht final between Galway and Roscommon will start at 4.20 which will allow most of that match to be shown live after the Ulster final ends.

Meanwhile, the Antrim hurling and football teams have signed a new sponsorship deal with Tennent's. The deal is reported to be worth a five-figure sum over the period leading up to the year 2000.

Clare (SH v Waterford): D Fitzgerald; F Lohan, B Lohan, B Quinn; L Doyle, S McMahon, A Daly; C Lynch, O Baker; D Scanlon, C Clancy, J O'Connor; N Gilligan, E Taaffe, A Markham.

Waterford (SH): B Landers; T Feeney, S Cullinane, B Flannery; S Frampton, F Hartley, B Greene; T Browne, P Queally; D Shanahan, K McGrath, D Bennett; M White, A Kirwan, P Flynn.