HURLING / Team news: Brian Hogan has been handed his first championship start for Kilkenny, after being named at left half back for Sunday's Leinster hurling semi-final against Wexford at Croke Park.
The 23-year-old Hogan caught the attention of manager Brian Cody with his impressive displays at full back on the O'Loughlin Gaels team that took the Leinster club title late last year, and with that was called into the Kilkenny panel. Now he gets to play alongside Peter Barry and Sean Dowling in the half-back line ahead of several more seasoned defenders.
Hogan's introduction marks one of just three changes from the Kilkenny team that triumphed in last September's All-Ireland final - his positioning an indirect swap for James Ryall.
DJ Carey is injury free after some recent scares but is kept in reserve, ready to come in if necessary. Jimmy Coogan takes his starting place in the full-forward line. Pat Tennyson is also preferred to Paddy Mullally at midfield.
Opponents Wexford will name their team after training tonight, with manager John Conran awaiting another update on the injury problems affecting Paul Codd, Colm Kehoe, Barry Lambert and Larry Murphy.
Dublin have announced their starting line-up for the Leinster hurling quarter-final meeting Westmeath, which precedes Kilkenny-Wexford at Croke Park. Manager Humphrey Kelleher introduces four championship newcomers, with several more returning to the starting line-up after several years on the fringes.
Dual under-21 player David O'Callaghan, who recently opted out of the football panel, starts at right corner forward, and another debutant, Dave Donnelly, features in the other corner.
Another under-21 player, Gary Maguire, takes over the goalkeeper duties from the long-serving Brendan McLoughlin, while Simon Daly is also called in at full back. Several of the more experienced players such as Stephen Perkins, Dave Sweeney and Shane Martin are missing through injury.
"Clearly we have gone for youth here," explained Kelleher. "But if we can add this to the sort of quality that is there then I think it's quite exciting. Obviously I'm a little apprehensive going into the first championship match, because we just don't really know exactly how well we are going.
"And the fact that Westmeath have had two championship matches is a huge advantage. We've seen already in the football what that can do."
For Westmeath manager Tom Ryan, the injury concerns over three key players - Barry Kennedy (shoulder) and Paul Greville and Andrew Mitchell (both knee) - has forced him to delay naming his team until later today.
Ryan admitted that the long-running substitute controversy surrounding Westmeath's preliminary-round win over Kildare took some time to get over: "It was a huge period of uncertainty for us. And a major distraction for the players. I felt as well that the media gave us a real hammering over it."
In football, it has been confirmed that Galway's experienced back Seán Óg de Paor will miss the rest of the season after rupturing his cruciate ligament in a club game last Saturday.
Limerick have agreed with Galway, Tipperary and Clare to toss for choice of venue should they meet in the All-Ireland hurling qualifiers, with the draws to be made on Sunday.
Monaghan manager Colm Coyle has made four changes for the All-Ireland qualifier against Longford in Clones. Out go Jason Hughes in midfield, Dessie Mone, Kieran Tavey and Raymond Ronaghan in attack. In come Nicholas Corrigan, Rory Woods, John Paul Mone and Paraic McKenna.
Sligo have been hit by a spate of injuries ahead of their qualifier against Clare in Ennis. Centre forward Mark Brehony (calf) and left corner back Brendan Phillips (shoulder) are the biggest doubts.
KILKENNY (SH v Wexford): J McGarry; M Kavanagh, N Hickey, JJ Delaney; S Dowling, P Barry, B Hogan; D Lyng, P Tennyson; J Hoyne, H Shefflin, T Walsh; E Brennan, M Comerford, J Coogan.
DUBLIN (SH v Westmeath): G Maguire; D Spain, S Daly, A de Paor; S Hiney, R Fallon, K Ryan; C Meehan, C Keaney; D Curtin, L Ryan, M Carton; D O'Callaghan, K Flynn, D Donnelly.
ANTRIM (SF v Louth): S McGreevey; N Ward, C Brady, T Convery; G Adams, S Kelly, A Finnegan; McCrory, J Quinn; M McCarry, K McGourty, J Marron; K Brady, D O'Hare, K Madden.
MONAGHAN (SF v Longford): G Murphy; P McKenna, J Coyle, Edmund Lennon; G McQuaid, J P Mone, V Corey; Eoin Lennon, D Duffy; N Corrigan, R Woods, D Clerkin; T Freeman, P Finlay, D Freeman.
