Cork stick with league winning side

TEAM NEWS: CORK MANAGER Conor Counihan has announced an unchanged team from the side that won the county’s third successive …

TEAM NEWS:CORK MANAGER Conor Counihan has announced an unchanged team from the side that won the county's third successive Division One league title in April.

This means that there are no starting places in Sunday’s Munster semi-final against champions Kerry for two of the county’s most feared forwards, Ciarán Sheehan and Daniel Goulding, both of whom have recovered from long-term injuries.

Sheehan sustained his cruciate injury in the corresponding fixture last year but he and Goulding, who appeared as a replacement in the league final win against Mayo, are fit to take their places on the bench. 2010 All Star midfielder Aidan Walsh is restored to his familiar position after spending much of the league season being deployed in the forwards. Pearse O’Neill moves to centre forward.

All told, both sides feature four changes each from their previous championship meeting, last year’s Munster final, which Kerry won by three points.

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Meath have made two changes to the side that defeated Wicklow in last month’s Leinster football first round for Sunday’s quarter-final against Carlow.

Donal Keogan starts in place of captain Séamus Kenny who sustained a cruciate injury in the Wicklow match while former All Star Stephen Bray is fit again and comes in for Mark Collins at centre forward.

Carlow forward JJ Smith is back for his first championship outing in two years having missed last season with injury.

On the double bill at O’Connor Park, Tullamore, with Meath-Carlow will be the Wexford-Longford replay. Division Three title winners Longford show no changes, as manager Glenn Ryan gives a vote of confidence to the side that led for most of the drawn encounter in Croke Park last week before needing a late free to equalise.

Wexford however make two changes, as Jason Ryan again has to make do without captain and centre back David Murphy, who was hospitalised last week with blood poisoning. His replacement Lee Chin is again named at wing back with Brian Malone moving to pivot the defence.

Paddy Byrne starts at wing forward, having come on as a replacement last weekend. He replaces Conor Carty, who reverts to the bench.

Clare manager Micheál McDermott, with an almost full hand to choose from for tomorrow’s Munster football semi-final against Limerick, has included Enda Coughlan at centre forward. Coughlan was unavailable for most of the league because of work commitments.

Graham Kelly, brother of centre back Gordon, broke a bone in his hand and misses out this weekend and might struggle to make the Munster final should Clare win and reach a first provincial decider since 2000, when they lost to Kerry.

CORK(SF v Mayo): A Quirke; R Carey, M Shields, E Cadogan; P Kissane, G Canty, N O'Leary; A O'Connor, A Walsh; F Goold, P O'Neill, P Kelly; C O'Neill, D O'Connor, P Kerrigan.

MEATH(SFC v Carlow): D Gallagher; D Keogan, K Reilly, B Menton; D Tobin, S McAnarney, M Burke; C Gillespie, B Meade; A Forde, S Bray, G Reilly; B Farrell, J Sheridan, C Ward.

CARLOW: T O'Reilly; P Murphy, C Lawlor, B Kavanagh; K Nolan, S Redmond, T Bolger; B Murphy, D Foley; B Murphy, P Reid, E Ruth; JJ Smith, S Gannon, D St Ledger.

LONGFORD(SFC v Wexford): D Sheridan; D Brady, B Gilleran, D Reilly; C Smith, M Quinn, S Mulligan; B McElvanney, J Keegan; D Barden, P Barden, N Mulligan; D McElligott, B Kavanagh, S McCormack.

WEXFORD: A Masterson; N Murphy, G Molloy, R Tierney; A Flynn, B Malone, L Chin; D Waters, R Quinlivan; P Byrne, S Roche, B Brosnan; C Lyng, E Bradley, R Barry.

CLARE(SFC v Limerick): J Hayes; K Harnett, S McNeilis, L Healy; M McMahon, G Kelly, J Hayes; G Brennan, G Quinlan; S McGrath, E Coughlan, A Clohessy; M OShea, D Tubridy, R Donnelly.

Seán Moran

Seán Moran

Seán Moran is GAA Correspondent of The Irish Times