Tipp make four changes for crucial meeting with Dublin

Cork also bring in four new faces as they seek a win to give them promotion

Kieran Bergin comes in into the Tipperary forward line to face Dublin on Sunday. Photograph: Mike Shaughnessy/Inpho
Kieran Bergin comes in into the Tipperary forward line to face Dublin on Sunday. Photograph: Mike Shaughnessy/Inpho

Tipperary have made four changes for the crucial league match with Dublin this Sunday in Thurles. Manager Eamon O’Shea, whose side have lost their last three matches and are in danger of finishing in the relegation play-off places, brings in Darragh Egan, Conor O’Brien, Jason Forde and Kieran Bergin.

Enforced absentees with injury and illness are former All Star Pádraic Maher and Conor Kenny. Last week’s goalkeeper Darren Gleeson and forward Michael Heffernan are others to make way.

The county lies bottom of Division One A with two points and the poorest scoring difference in the division. History is however on their side, as Tipperary haven't lost a competitive match to Dublin on home soil for 68 years. The visitors are two points ahead along with Galway, Kilkenny and Waterford.

Meanwhile Jimmy Barry-Murphy also makes four changes to Cork for this weekend's visit of Wexford, in which a win would seal promotion back to Division One A for last year's defeated All-Ireland finalists.

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Last week's unexpected combination of results, which saw Cork win in Antrim and their major rivals at the top of Division One B, Limerick, surprisingly drop a point to joint-bottom side Offaly. With a one-point advantage, Cork need just to win to ensure they stay top.

All Star and Hurler of the Year nominee Anthony Nash is back in goal after rotating with Darren McCarthy. Dual player Aidan Walsh returns after playing with the footballers last week with William Egan unavailable because of college commitments whereas Shane O'Neill is back in defence after missing the Antrim match because of study leave. Eoin Keane gives way.

Stephen Moylan is back in the attack in place of Brian Hartnett. Walsh's fellow dual player Eoin Cadogan wasn't considered after having to leave the football match against Mayo with a hamstring injury.

Last week’s outcome was hugely disappointing for Limerick, who have been denied promotion in the past three years despite having earned promotion in 2011 only for a league restructure to reduce the number of counties in the top flight. They topped the table in the following two years but lost the divisional final and with it a place in the higher division. Now that the rule was changed to scrap the final, they are in danger of coming second and once more losing out.

Meanwhile the GAA released details of the teams of the tournament from the recent third-level championships, held in Queen's University Belfast. The football and hurling selections are predictably dominated by Sigerson and Fitzgibbon winners UCC and Waterford IT.

Billy Morgan's UCC have eight places on the football team, including Conor Dorman who kicked the winning point in the final against UUJ. Kerry senior Conor Cox is the only player from last year's selection to be chosen again. Those honoured will be encouraged to know that last year's team featured two players, Colin Walshe and Aidan O'Shea both of 2013 winners DIT, who went on to win All Stars last October.

Fitzgibbon winners WIT have six representatives on the hurling team, three of whom were honoured last year: Kilkenny pair David Glynn and Eoin Murphy and Cork’s Conor Lehane. Similar to the football, three of that team went on to win hurling All Stars: Lehane, his Cork team-mate Séamus Harnedy and Clare’s Colm Galvin.

Seán Moran

Seán Moran

Seán Moran is GAA Correspondent of The Irish Times