GAELIC GAMES:THERE ARE concerns about the availability of Kerry footballers Marc Ó Sé and Paul Galvin ahead of the Munster football semi-final replay against Cork in Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Sunday.
The All-Ireland champions only resumed collective training last night and Ó Sé is struggling to recover from the shoulder he damaged keeping tabs on Paul Kerrigan last weekend. Galvin was not deemed fit enough to start the drawn encounter but the 2009 footballer of the year made a significant impact when manager Jack O’Connor sent him on for the last 15 minutes. Galvin is struggling with an ankle injury and tonsillitis.
Micheál Quirke failed to return after half-time against Cork due to bruising over his eye caused by a first-half collision but the big midfielder is expected to recover. Anthony Maher and David Moran remain the alternatives after also both featuring from the bench.
O’Connor may hold off naming his team until tomorrow.
Cork manager Conor Counihan is due to release a starting 15 tonight with veteran defender Anthony Lynch (groin) and midfielder Nicolas Murphy (back) the only two not being considered.
Elsewhere, a changing of the guard in Dublin football was confirmed yesterday when manager Pat Gilroy announced a fresh faced team for their defence of their Leinster title against Wexford on Sunday in Croke Park. The main priority for Gilroy is to avoid a repeat of the comprehensive All-Ireland quarter-final defeats sustained in 2008 against Tyrone and on his watch last year to Kerry.
The line up is ultra-defensive with new captain David Henry, a former fixture at corner back, named at centre forward. There are five starting debutants – two in an extremely inexperienced fullback line as Mark Fitzsimons and Philly McMahon join Rory O’Carroll who has made just the one championship appearance. O’Carroll was deservedly named man of the match in last month’s under-21 All-Ireland final due to his exemplary man marking job on Donegal’s Michael Murphy.
His Kilmacud Crokes team-mate Cian O’Sullivan also makes his first championship start at centre back although he featured off the bench against Kerry last summer. Elder brother Ross O’Carroll is out injured for another four weeks but former centre back Bryan Cullen could bring some experience to the bench along with Tomás Quinn and Alan Brogan. Sunday also marks Conal Keaney’s first competitive start of the season.
“(Alan Brogan) is ready to go, but he has been dogged with injury,” said Gilroy. “The way his injuries have been, he’s actually done a lot of training because when he had his hand injury he was training like everybody else, he just wasn’t able to take physical contact.”
Eamon Fennell and Ross McConnell form a new midfield partnership as Darren Magee has a heal problem, Ciarán Whelan has retired and Shane Ryan switched back to hurling.
Niall Corkery, another member of Crokes’ 2009 All-Ireland winning team, is the fifth new boy in a forward line that remains heavily dependant on the scoring return of Bernard Brogan despite Kevin McManamon showing up well during the national league with 3-6 from play.
Wexford manager Jason Ryan has confirmed their medical staff are doing everything possible to get marquee forward Matty Forde onto the field on Sunday after several months recuperating from a back operation. The former All Star featured in a recent challenge match against Fermanagh. Ryan has delayed his team announcement due to further concerns over corner backs David Walsh (knee) and Niall Murphy (ankle) as well as Brendan Doyle (quad) and Adrian Morrissey.
Ryan has also been impressed with Dublin’s league form: “We can say they are a new team but they have been playing all year together. The same bunch of guys played against us in the O’Byrne Cup on January 10th.
“Their tackle count is absolutely immense at the moment. The amount of turnovers are huge. They are not just good footballers they have a lot of physical strength in all the lines. They are going to be very hard to break down.”
The Westmeath footballers fortunes have taken another positive turn with two-time All Star defender John Keane returning to training. Keane retired last year citing a recurring knee problem.
Meanwhile, the GAA president Christy Cooney has stressed the importance of planning permission being granted for the redevelopment of Páirc Uí Chaoimh next week. “It is absolutely crucial. It is about the development of a centre of excellence, including the stadium, gym facilities, proper spectator facilities, proper dressingroom facilities which we all know are badly needed in Cork.”
Cooney was speaking at the Vodafone player of the monthly awards, where Cork hurler Aisake Ó hAilpín and Down footballer Benny Coulter, were recognised for their performances in May.
CAVAN (SF v Fermanagh): F Reilly; D Sheridan, T Corr, M Cahill; P Brady, E McGuigan, A Clarke; C Galligan, D Givney; R Flanagan, G Smith, M McKeever; C Mackey, S Johnston, M Brennan.
