Browne ready for Limerick

With the rare burden of being clear favourites, Limerick open their Munster football campaign on Sunday, playing Tipperary at Páirc Uí Chaoimh. But beating Tipperary still invariably involves beating their All Star forward Declan Browne, who is happy that his own county's preparations won't leave them far off the pace.

"We'd always be well geared up for our first championship match," says Browne. "We know Limerick had a good league campaign, but we didn't have a bad one ourselves. And the championship is always different. It's all on the day.

"Limerick have closed the gap on Kerry and Cork, and driven on the likes our ourselves and Waterford and Clare. And we wouldn't feel we're that far off either. But even though there is some pressure on Limerick, who feel they could have won the Munster title last year with a bit of luck, I'd say they can handle it."

On the basis of the league Browne hasn't lost any of his mercurial scoring ability. He collected 1-7 in the last-round league win over Derry and is clearly looking forward to Sunday.

"The big thing for me was staying injury free. And thankfully I've had a clear run this season. And the league form was good for the whole team. We know we struggled a bit last year in the league, and that carried through a bit to the championship.

"And I'll I never get tired of scoring. But I'm a firm believer in the 15-man game, and I know I'm only as good as the ball I get from midfield or the other forwards or whoever."

The arrival of Andy Shorthall as the new Tipperary manager has also had a positive effect.

"Tom McGlinchey had done very well over the four years but it had gone a little stale in the end. So it's always good to get some fresh ideas and a different routine, and Andy has brought that."

The Tipperary team named last night for the clash with Limerick shows a new goalkeeper in Brian Enright, who takes over from the long serving Philly Ryan. Browne has been named in the full forward line along with Paul Cahill and Damien O'Brien, but is expected to drop back to centre forward.

In hurling, Cork will have three championship debutants on the team that opens the defence of their Munster title against Kerry, at Páirc Uí Chaoimh. Two corner backs, Brian Murphy and Cian O'Connor get their first starts - with both Wayne Sherlock and Pat Mulcahy injured - as does Jonathan O'Callaghan at corner forward. Captain Ben O'Connor will start in the left corner, with reconverted forward Brian Corcoran among the substitutes.

Louth will have eight championship debutants for their clash with Wexford at Parnell Park, including goalkeeper Shane McCoy.

TIPPERARY (SF v Limerick): B Enright; B Hahessy, S Collum, N Curran; R Costigan, D Byrne, G Burke; K Mulryan, F O'Callaghan; L England, A Fitzgerald, M Webster; P Cahill, D Browne, D O'Brien.

CORK (SH v Kerry): D Og Cusack; B Murphy, D O'Sullivan, C O'Connor; T Kenny, R Curran, S Og O hAilpin; J Gardiner, M O'Connell; J O'Connor, N McCarthy, T McCarthy; J O'Callaghan, J Deane, B O'Connor.

LOUTH (SF v Wexford): S McCoy; S Gerard, J Clerkin, J Carr; A Page, P Mallon, R Rooney; D Devaney, P Keenan; R Finnegan, D Clarke, R Kelly; O McDonnell, D Reid, P Matthews.