WATERFORD WERE always going to need all the help they could get when facing Cork in Sunday’s Munster football championship quarter-final, and despite a minor injury crisis, the good news is they have found some welcome assistance in Gary Hurney and Shane Walsh.
The dual players, who are part of the Waterford hurling panel, have been released for Sunday’s game in Dungarvan. Walsh is expected to feature at midfield and Hurney may well feature alongside him, although manager John Kiely is still trying to finalise his team given the spate of injuries elsewhere.
Seasoned midfielder Mick Ahearne is ruled out with a virus, while defenders Jason Seaward and Justin Walsh will also miss out; Seaward with a knee injury, and Walsh because of hamstring problems. Seán O’Hare is nursing a finger injury, goalkeeper Tom Wall a neck injury, Shane Briggs a finger injury, Ger Power a rib problem and Edmond Rockett an ankle strain. Kiely has also struggled to get his panel together for collective training because of local championship fixtures.
Cork will be close to full strength. Manager Conor Counihan has added four of the county’s recent All-Ireland under-21 winners to the senior panel: captain Colm O’Neill is joined by defensive duo Noel Galvin and Aidan Walsh, and attacker Ciarán Sheehan. Anthony Lynch has a shoulder injury; Michael Cussen and Kevin O’Sullivan are still carrying injuries sustained in the league, while Diarmuid Duggan is out after a knee operation.
The other Munster quarter-final involving Tipperary against Limerick at Semple Stadium has the home team at full strength. Ciarán McDonald (shoulder), Brian Fox (wrist) and Seán Carey (hand) are fit to play.
Forward Stephen Kelly is the one notable absentee for Limerick. He broke a bone in his hand playing rugby for Shannon in the AIL recently.
Two players have been given their championship debuts by Wicklow manager Mick O’Dwyer on the team to play Longford next Sunday in their Leinster championship opener at Portlaoise. They are defenders Paudge McWalter and Alan Nolan.
Cork’s All-Ireland under-21 football winning captain Colm O’Neill last night got an added boost to his call-up to the senior panel when he was named as the 2009 Cadbury Hero of the Future at an awards ceremony in Croke Park.
O’Neill won the overall award, as voted by the public on www.cadburygaau21.com and an expert judging panel, which included Kildare footballer Dermot Earley, former Dublin manager Paul Caffrey and TG4 journalist Michael O’Domhnaill.
WICKLOW(SF v Longford): M Travers; C Hyland, A Nolan, A Byrne; P McWalter, D Ó hAnnaidh, P Dalton; J Stafford, T Walsh; T Hannon, L Glynn (capt), JP Dalton; D Odlum, S Furlong, P Earls.
NOMINEES FOR THE 2009 CADBURY HERO OF THE FUTURE AWARD: Gary Gaughan (Sligo), Ger Reddin (Laois), Stefan Forker (Armagh), Paul McComiskey (Down), Peter Fitzpatrick (Down), Conor Poland (Down), Colm O'Neill (Cork), Colm O'Driscoll (Cork), Ciarán Sheehan (Cork), Dean Kelly (Dublin), Patrick Andrews (Dublin), Tom Parsons (Mayo), Aidan O'Shea (Mayo), Seán Carey (Tipperary), Brian Fox (Tipperary).
