The Allianz Hurling League reaches the midway stage this weekend, before the knock-out begins, with several counties still jostling for position.
Galway are one of four teams in Division 1A with one win and one defeat, and face close rivals Kilkenny at Pearse Stadium on Sunday. Despite the appetising nature of that game Galway manager Anthony Cunningham won’t be rushing Joe Canning back into action.
Canning has missed Galway’s opening two games after breaking a finger in the Walsh Cup, back in January. It’s more likely he will return for the penultimate game with Cork on Sunday week.
Defender Fergal Moore has been passed fit from a recent hamstring injury and should play some part.
Hip surgery
Tipperary will be without several players for the game against Clare in Ennis.
Denis Maher, Joe O’Dwyer, Patrick Maher, Paddy Stapleton and Shane McGrath will all miss out and manager Eamon O’Shea has confirmed defender Michael Cahill will miss the remainder of the league as he recoveries from hip surgery. Niall O’Meara, the former under-21 captain who was sidelined for much of last summer is set to return.
Dublin, buoyed by wins over Kilkenny and , Tipperary, will look to extend their unbeaten start when hosting Cork in Croke Park on Saturday evening.
In Division 1B, leaders Wexford, the only team with two wins from two, host Limerick. Manager Liam Dunne has welcomes back three key players with Conor McDonald back from injury and Andrew Shore and Tomás Waters both returning from suspension.
Shore had been handed a massive 48-week ban at the end of 2014, after playing a club game in England, but was cleared late last week on appeal.
Offaly host Waterford on Saturday afternoon, with manager Brian Whelahan welcoming back forward Brian Carroll, who missed the opening two league games due to work commitments abroad. Cathal Parlon and Shane Kinsella are still recovering from injury.
Waterford manager Derek McGrath faces some difficult selection decisions given six of his players are still involved in the Fitzgibbon Cup, the final replay of which has been fixed for next Wednesday. Jake Dillon, Austin Gleeson, Pauric Mahony, Gavin O’Brien and Martin O’Neill are part of the Waterford IT team, while Stephen Bennett is a key player for UL.
There has been some criticism of the decision to fix the Munster Colleges Corn Uí Mhuirí football final replay – between Kerry’s PS Chorca Dhuibhne and Cork’s Rochestown College – for Rathmore in Kerry, next Sunday, with a 1.30pm start, rather than play it as part of the Kerry-Cork clash at Páirc Uí Rinn. However, the game was required to be fixed for a neutral venue.
