ALL-IRELAND FINALISTS Cork have made four changes to the team that defeated Kerry two weeks ago. Former All-Ireland under-21 winning goalkeeper Kenneth O’Halloran replaces Paddy O’Shea for this weekend’s match with Galway.
In defence, Eoin Cotter and Noel O’Leary come in for Noel Galvin and dual player Eoin Cadogan, and Colm O’Neill, shortlisted for the 2009 Young Footballer of the Year award, takes over up front from Paul O’Flynn.
Conor Counihan’s side jointly lead Division One with two wins from two matches.
Meanwhile, Tyrone welcome back some familiar faces for Sunday’s visit to Inniskeen, as Mickey Harte makes six changes to the side defeated by Mayo two weeks ago.
The three players suspended after the controversial match against Derry on the opening weekend, Justin McMahon, Martin Penrose and Conor Gormley, return, as do the Cookstown pair of Owen Mulligan and Raymond Mulgrew after their club’s intermediate All-Ireland winning exploits.
The remaining change sees Johnny Curran take over in goal from Pascal McConnell.
The other players dropping out are: Kyle Coney, who is being rested before the under-21 match with Derry; the suspended Joe McMahon; Ronan McNabb; Enda McGinley and Eoin McCusker.
Dublin make five changes from the side which defeated Derry for the trip to Castlebar on Sunday.
Multi-All Star winner Stephen Cluxton is back in goal after being rotated with Michael Savage two weeks ago.
Other interest has focused on the replacement goalkeeper, Shane Supple, who walked away from a professional soccer career with Roy Keane’s Ipswich Town.
A former Ireland under-21 cap, Supple has recovered from injury and resumed his football career with St Brigid’s before receiving the call-up from Dublin.
The other changes see Ger Brennan back for his first match of the campaign, whereas Philip McMahon, David Henry and Paul Flynn return.
The players dropping out are James Brogan, Rory O’Carroll, who will be playing with the under-21s tomorrow, Tiernan Diamond and Blaine Kelly.
Elsewhere, there has been further bad news for Leitrim manager Mickey Moran. Just days after it emerged that the experienced Colin Regan had suffered a possibly career-ending setback with a double cruciate injury, it emerged yesterday that an injury sustained by forward Emlyn Mulligan with his club at the weekend had turned out to be a recurrence of the cruciate tear that caused him to miss the ’09 championship.
Mulligan, whose scoring exploits took him close to All Star recognition, had just returned in this year’s NFL and his loss is a desperate blow to the county, which has started the campaign uncertainly and lost at home to Waterford, co-incidentally managed by one of Leitrim’s 1994 history-making Connacht title team, John Owens.
CORK (NFL v Galway): K O’Halloran; R Carey, M Shields, E Cotter; P Kissane, G Spillane, N O’Leary; A O’Connor, P O’Neill; P Kerrigan, D O’Connor, P Kelly; D Goulding, N Murphy, C O’Neill.
TYRONE (NFL v Monaghan):J Curran; D Carlin, J McMahon, S O'Neill; D Harte, C Gormley, R McMenamin; A Cassidy, K Hughes; C Cavanagh, B McGuigan, R Mulgrew; T McGuigan, M Penrose, O Mulligan.
DUBLIN (NFL v Mayo):S Cluxton; P Conlon, M Fitzsimons, P McMahon; P Griffin, C O'Sullivan, G Brennan; E Fennell, R McConnell; A Hubbard, P Flynn, K Bonner; D Henry, M D MacAuley, K McManamon. Subs: S Supple, C McCormack, N O'Connor, H Gill, K Nolan, P Casey, J Brogan, D Carrigan, D Magee, C Murphy, T Diamond, B Brogan, D Kelly, B McManamon, P Andrews.
DERRY (NFL v Kerry):B Gillis; M McGoldrick, K McCloy, D McBride; C Kielt, M Lynch, G O'Kane; Patsy Bradley, F Doherty; A McLaughlin, B McGuigan, Brian Mullan; Paddy Bradley, Eoin Bradley, R Wilkinson.
WEXFORD (NFL v Sligo):A Masterson; J Wadding, D Walsh, B Malone; N Murphy, D Murphy, A Doyle; E Bradley, D Waters; P Naughter, R Barry, A Flynn; C Lyng, S Roche, B Brosnan.
LAOIS (NFL v Armagh):M Dowling; J Scully, M Timmons, P McMahon; D Strong, C Healy, C Begley; B Quigley, C Óg Greene; P O'Leary, K Meaney, N Donoher; MJ Tierney, P Lalor, B Sheehan.
SLIGO (NFL v Wexford):P Greene; C Harrison, N McGuire, R Donovan; N Ewing, M Quinn, J Davey; E Mullen, T Taylor; A Costello, M Breheny, F Quinn; S Coen, D Kelly, K Sweeney.
