GAELIC GAMES:TIPPERARY MANAGER Declan Ryan has named 12 players who started last September's All-Ireland final for Sunday's eagerly anticipated Munster championship meeting with Cork.
Conor O’Mahoney, the retired Declan Fanning and injured Brendan Maher are the three missing players.
John O’Keeffe of Clonoulty Rossmore makes his championship debut at left half back as Pádraic Maher switches to the middle instead of O’Mahoney.
David Young, who featured as a replacement in last year’s final, starts at wing back in place of Fanning, while Gearóid Ryan comes into the midfield for Maher as Seamus Callanan starts at wing forward. Callanan was also used off the bench in the defeat of Kilkenny eight months ago.
Both Seamus Hennessy (knee) and Maher, who fractured his ankle, are back training but remain a few weeks off consideration for selection.
Eoin Kelly continues to lead the side, after recovering from a recent hand injury, in a full forward line that also includes John O’Brien and current hurler of the year Lar Corbett.
In fact, Tipperary’s onfield experience looks notably superior to a Cork side that has Jerry O’Connor, Tom Kenny, Cathal Naughton and Michael Cussen among its reserves, while William Egan is tasked with replacing Ronan Curran at centre back and marking Noel McGrath.
Meanwhile, the Down team to face Armagh in the controversially scheduled Ulster championship quarter-final tomorrow night has a similar complexion to what took the field against Cork last September.
In fact, the only change from last year’s All-Ireland final sees Benny McArdle replacing Damien Rafferty at corner back. Rafferty is attempting to recover from a troublesome groin injury, termed osteitis pubis, which is increasingly common amongst Gaelic games players and Australian Rules footballers.
Ambrose Rogers is the other notable absentee as manager James McCartan is unable to recall the former captain who, much like Henry Shefflin for Kilkenny, sought a miracle recovery from a cruciate knee injury ahead of last year’s All-Ireland decider.
Again like Shefflin, Rogers has featured at club level for Longstone recently but has yet to reach inter-county fitness standards so Kalum King and Peter Fitzpatrick will continue their midfield partnership for the game, which has a 7.30pm throw-in.
The timing is expected to hinder attendance to the Athletic Grounds in Armagh as it is in direct clash with the Champions League final at Wembley between Manchester United and Barcelona.
McCartan’s team may have a familiar look to it but it is not, in fact, his preferred line-up if National League selections are an indication. John Clarke returns to the forwards alongside his younger brother Marty, entering his second full season back in Ireland after a spell in Australia with Collingwood, but this is mainly due to Conor McGinn’s hamstring injury. However, wing back Conor Garvey has recovered from a similar injury to start.
Armagh’s former All Star full forward Ronan Clarke will potentially not feature all summer as he is due to undergo an operation on his Achilles in Switzerland.
Wexford hurling captain Darren Stamp has been ruled out of Sunday’s Leinster hurling championship match against Antrim at Wexford Park with Ciarán Kenny replacing him at centre back.
Antrim manager Dinny Cahill has made two enforced changes with Cormac Donnelly replacing the suspended Neil McAuley, after his straight red card against Laois last weekend, while Karl McKeegan’s injury is offset by the return of Eddie McCloskey from suspension, following his red card in the National League against Down.
Finally, a host of inter-county GAA players were present at the Martello Tower on Sandymount strand in Dublin yesterday afternoon to launch the sixth annual VHI Cúl camps.
The VHI ambassadors present included Dublin’s Bernard Brogan and Conal Keaney, Galway camogie star Niamh Kilkenny, Cavan’s world champion handballer Paul Brady, Tommy Walsh from Kilkenny, Ross Munnelly of Laois, Cork footballer Ciarán Sheehan and Wexford hurling goalkeeper Damien Fitzhenry.
TIPPERARY (SHC v Cork): B Cummins; P Stapleton, P Curran, M Cahill; D Young, P Maher, J O’Keeffe; G Ryan, S McGrath; S Callanan, N McGrath, P Maher; E Kelly (capt), J O’brien, L Corbett.
DOWN (SFC v Armagh): B McVeigh; D McCartan, D Gordon, B McArdle; C Garvey, K McKiernan, D Rooney; K King, P Fitzpatrick; D Hughes, M Poland, M Clarke; J Clarke, B Coulter, P McComiskey.
WEXFORD (SHC v Antrim): N Breen; P Roche, M O’Hanlon; 4. Keith Rossiter, 5. Lar Prendergast, 6. Ciarán Kenny (Vice-Capt.), 7. Michael Jacob, 8. Willie Doran, 9. David Redmond, 10. PJ Nolan, 11. Harry Kehoe, 12. Stephen Banville, 13. Rory Jacob, 14. Éanna Martin, 15. Jim Berry.
WEXFORD (SFC v Offaly): A Masterson; J Wadding, G Molloy, B Malone; A Flynn, D Murphy (capt), A Doyle; R Quinlivan, D Waters; S Roche, C Lyng, B Brosnan; C Morris, E Bradley, R Barry.
