TEAM NEWS:THE CLASH of kick-off/throw-in time (7.30pm) for the Dublin versus Down National Football League game at Croke Park tomorrow and the Magners League encounter between Leinster and Munster at Thomond Park will surely affect viewing figures for both sporting events.
Setanta Ireland report healthy “reach figures” (numbers who tuned in across the broadcast) for Dublin matches at GAA headquarters this season ranging from 142,000 for the hurlers against All-Ireland champions Tipp up to 188,000 for the meeting with All-Ireland football champions Cork.
The highest average viewing figure for RTÉ’s Magners League coverage so far this season is 291,000 for Munster against Glasgow in January with peak figures well over the 300,000 mark.
Dublin also face Kilkenny in hurling tomorrow (throw-in 5.15pm) at Croke Park with adult stand tickets going for €13, terrace €10 and children €5 from Ticketmaster and usual outlets.
Meanwhile, two former footballers of the year are poised to reappear on the intercounty scene this weekend as Paul Galvin is named in the Kerry team to face Monaghan while Pádraic Joyce is back in the Galway team for their clash with Armagh.
Galvin, the 2009 footballer of the year, has already made one appearance off the bench, against Armagh, and now makes his first start for Kerry in Inniskeen this Sunday, but Eoin Brosnan, Tomás Ó Sé and Donnchadh Walsh are rested while Bryan Sheehan and Tom O’Sullivan are unavailable.
Meanwhile, the Tipperary hurling team to play Galway at Pearse Stadium on Sunday shows three changes from the team which drew with Cork last Sunday.
Darren Gleeson comes into goals in place of Brendan Cummins, John Coghlan has his first league start in place of the injured Paddy Stapleton and, up front, John O’Brien starts in place of Noel McGrath.
KERRY (FL v Monaghan):T Mac a t'Saoir; P Reidy, M Ó Sé, A O'Connell; A O'Mahony, K Young, D Bohan; D Moran, A Maher; D O'Sullivan, D O'Sullivan, P Galvin; K O'Leary, K Donaghy, D Geaney.
WEXFORD (FL v Tipperary):A Masterson; N Murphy, G Molloy, A Doyle; B Malone, D Murphy (Capt), A Morrissey; R Quinlivan, D Waters; S ONeill, R Barry, G Sunderland; C Lyng, P Byrne, B Brosnan.
TYRONE (FL v Kildare):P McConnell; M Swift, Joe McMahon, D McCaul; D Harte, C Gormley, R McMenamin; K Hughes, A Cassidy; C Cavanagh, B McGuigan, S Cavanagh; M Penrose, Stephen O'Neill, O Mulligan.
CORK (FL v Mayo):K O'Halloran; R Carey, J O'Sullivan, M Shields; S Kiely, N O'Leary, E Cadogan; A O'Connor, J Fitzpatrick; F Goold, P Kelly, P O'Neill; D Goulding, F Lynch, D O'Connor.
FERMANAGH (FL v Clare):J McGrath; J Woods, B Owens, M Jones; C Quigley, B Mulrone, K Cosgrove; H Brady, M O'Brien; T O'Flanaghan, N Cassidy, R Jones; P Ward, J O'Flanaghan, S Quigley.
OFFALY (FL v Waterford):A Mulhall; B Darby, S Brady, S Pender; S Sullivan, K Slattery, J Keane; R Dalton, B Connor; G Guilfoyle, N McNamee, C McManus; T Deehan, J Reynolds, K Casey.
CORK (HL v Wexford):A Nash; S O'Neill, E Dillon, C O'Sullivan; M Ellis, R Curran, J Nagle; B Murphy, T Kenny; B O'Connor, B Cooper, C Naughton; P O'Sullivan, M Cussen, P Horgan.
TIPPERARY (HL v Galway):D Gleeson; J Coghlan, P Curran, M Cahill; D Young, P Maher, J OKeeffe; G Ryan, S McGrath; B Dunne, P Maher, P Bourke; S Bourke, J OBrien, L Corbett.
KERRY (HL v Limerick):B Rochford; E Fitzgerald, T Murnane, C Harris; P O'Grady, M Conway, J Casey; P Costello, D Dineen; S Nolan, L Boyle, D Fitzell; J Egan, A Boyle, D O'Connell.
MAYO (HL v Sligo):K Jordan; S Connell, D McConn, S Morley; B Higgins, P Connell, M Morley; B Hunt, K Higgins; N Murphy, D McDonnell, S Hoban; R Cullinane, S Broderick, D McTighe.
