Vaughan called in ahead of Sherlock

GAELIC GAMES: Mark Vaughan has won a place in the Dublin team for Sunday's Leinster football semi-final against Wexford. The young Kilmacud Crokes forward replaces Jason Sherlock in what is clearly a changing of the guard in Dublin football, and the only alteration to the team which started against Meath last Sunday week.

Yet Vaughan's introduction was widely mooted after his previous display in Croke Park, when he replaced Sherlock at half-time before calmly converting two tricky frees late in the match.

The 20-year-old also appeared as a substitute in the first-round win over Longford, replacing Colin Moran and also slotting over two frees. Sunday's game represents his first senior championship start for Dublin.

Sherlock's relegation to the bench is significant, and undoubtedly a difficult decision for manager Paul Caffrey. Sherlock started in all six of Dublin's championship matches last summer and was the only remaining link to the 1995 All-Ireland success.

"That's very much part of the manager's job," said Caffrey. "You make changes if you feel they are necessary, and you wait for the end result. By then you'll know if they worked the way you wanted them to or not. But I do feel at this stage we have a lot of players than can come in and make a big impact for us if and when they're needed."

Darren Homan was back training with the panel last night after picking up an eye injury against Meath and also features among the substitutes.

Wexford will finalise their team after training this evening, as manager Pat Roe is waiting to check on captain John Hudson's thigh injury.

Sunday's opening semi-final at Croke Park features Laois against Kildare, and Laois manager Mick O'Dwyer has made three changes from the team that stunned Offaly with a late, late goal in their quarter-final. Brian Beano McDonald comes back into the starting line-up at left corner forward for his first start since breaking his leg last summer, and he is joined in the attack by former Kerry minor Billy Sheehan and Barry Brennan from Graiguecullen. The players to lose out are Ian Fitzgerald, Gary Kavanagh and teenager Donie Brennan.

There is just one change in the Kerry team for Sunday's Munster football semi-final against Limerick, with Ballylongford midfielder Paddy Kelly replacing William Kirby.

Manager Jack O'Connor has made it his practice to reward players for their performances at training, and clearly Kelly has been doing the business over the past fortnight. He did, in fact, replace Kirby midway through the second half of last month's facile win over Tipperary, but made his only previous championship start for Kerry in last year's quarter-final against Dublin. He appeared as a replacement in both the semi-final and final.

Eamonn Fitzmaurice retains his place at centre back, and that means there is no room on this occasion for Séamus Moynihan. Although he has recovered from the calf strain that ruled him out of the Tipperary game, Moynihan must be content with a place on the bench alongside similarly experienced players such as last year's captain Dara Ó Cinnéide and Declan Quill.

Declan O'Sullivan will again captain the team at full forward alongside Mike Frank Russell and Colm Cooper, who has recovered from a thigh injury. Limerick manager Liam Kearns will finalise his starting line-up this evening, with forward Eoin Keating the only definite absentee with a broken collarbone.

Kildare will finalise their team this morning as manager Padraig Nolan decides whether to start Andrew McLoughlin, who has recovered from a knee injury.

Finally, Offaly have made two enforced changes for their qualifier against Carlow, with injured captain Barry Mooney replaced by minor star James Keane, and John Reynolds taking over from James Coughlan.

DUBLIN (SF v Wexford): S Cluxton; P Griffin, P Christie, S O'Shaughnessy; P Casey, B Cahill, C Goggins; C Whelan, S Ryan; C Moran, A Brogan, B Cullen; M Vaughan, C Keaney, T Quinn.

LAOIS (SF v Kildare): F Byron; A Fennelly, D Rooney, J Higgins; C Begley, T Kelly, P McMahon; P Clancy, N Garvan; R Munnelly, B Brennan, B Sheehan; C Conway, K Fitzpatrick, B McDonald.

KERRY (SF v Limerick): D Murphy; A O'Mahony, M McCarthy, T O'Sullivan; T O Se, E Fitzmaurice, M O Se; D O Se, P Kelly; P Galvin, E Brosnan, L Hassett; C Cooper, D O'Sullivan, MF Russell.

OFFALY (SF v Carlow): P Kelly; C Daly, C Evans, S Brady; J Keane, S Sullivan, K Slattery; C McManus, A McNamee; C Quinn, M Daly, N Coughlan; N McNamee, P Kelleghan, J Reynolds.