Gaelic Games Digest:For one day only, Tipperary hurling manager Michael "Babs" Keating has decided to put club before county. Keating will be in Thomastown on Sunday for UCD's clash with All-Ireland champions Kilkenny in the Walsh Cup, with Tipp selectors Tom Barry and John Leahy set to take charge of the county for the Munster Cup hurling semi-final against Clare in Meelick.
"I haven't been with UCD all year and I want to see how our Tipperary panellists Diarmaid Fitzgerald and Paul Ormond are shaping up," Keating explained. "It will be Tipperary's third game in the Waterford Crystal Cup, we're going well in that competition and we've got what we wanted from it. It's much better having games like that rather than having to look around for challenge matches.
"It's a real bonus to have won those games, too, and I promised UCD I'd be there on Sunday because I'm looking after them for the forthcoming Fitzgibbon Cup."
Midfielder Colin Morrissey (hamstring) and James Woodlock (knee) are doubtful starters for Tipperary while Danny O'Hanlon has the flu. Defender Declan Fanning is back in contention for a starting place after injury.
Keating confirmed he's pleased with Tipp's early-season form. "You'd expect that we'd be moving well - we had five hard days at a training camp in Rosslare," he commented.
Clare manager Tony Considine will again operate with the panel of 20 players who have secured wins against UCC and Kerry in this year's competition.
Moloney comeback
Eight months after sustaining a serious leg injury on his debut with Limerick senior hurlers, Denis Moloney has returned to the panel. A member of the Doon club, he damaged a cruciate ligament assisting Limerick in their narrow Munster senior championship clash against Tipperary in Thurles.
Manager Richie Bennis recalled the 21-year-old half back last weekend in an 0-12 to 1-8 defeat of UCC in a challenge, a game which marked the debut of goalkeeper Ger Flynn and midfielder Shane Mullally. Beaten by LIT in the opening round of the Munster Cup hurling, Limerick are preparing for the upcoming National League with a string of challenge games.
Delaney gets all-clear
Kilkenny's All Star defender JJ Delaney could feature against UCD in the Walsh Cup on Sunday after receiving the all-clear to resume hurling.
The former hurler of the year missed the 2006 All-Ireland final victory over Cork after damaging cruciate knee ligaments in training but Delaney got the news he wanted to hear from Waterford-based knee specialist Tadhg O'Sullivan on Monday evening.
"I knew myself it was okay but to hear the doctor saying it was good," said Delaney. "Since coming back from the team holiday (to New Zealand) I've been doing the hard slog with the rest of the boys, back in full training . . . My last game was the All-Ireland semi-final (last August v Clare) - that was my last proper match although I trained for a couple of weeks after before getting injured."
Kilkenny manager Brian Cody is expecting at least five Kilkenny men to feature for UCD, including Seán Cummins, Damien Fogarty and Bryan Barry.
In brief . . .
Clare football manager Páidí Ó Sé has been handed a pre-season boost with the return to training of experienced Kilkee player David Russell . . . Castletown and Camross, thrown out of this year's Laois senior hurling championship after violence led to the abandonment of their quarter-final, have issued a joint plea for clemency to the county board. . . Wicklow dual player Leighton Glynn has been allowed by senior football team manager Mick O'Dwyer to play for the hurlers against Louth in Sunday's Kehoe Cup clash in Arklow. Glynn's father Tommy is a senior hurling team selector . . . A new committee is to be set up in Kildare to review the state of hurling in the county.
