GAELIC GAMES:GRAHAM CANTY has been included in the Cork team to play in Sunday's All-Ireland football final against Down. The captain is named at centre back despite having struggled with an injured hamstring since damaging it in the quarter-final against Roscommon and having to be replaced at half-time in the semi-final win over Dublin.
The only change to the side that lined out last month against Dublin is the expected call-up of dual player Eoin Cadogan. The hurling full back is named in the right corner of the defence and John Miskella drops back to the replacements. There is one tactical adjustment with Ray Carey moving to the left-corner back position to allow Cadogan in at number two.
Otherwise the team is as started against Dublin, with Ciarán Sheehan at right wing forward and Paul Kerrigan in the left corner and Donncha O’Connor at full forward. There had been speculation the veteran centrefielder Nicholas Murphy might be named after making a significant impact in a number of matches this season but the back injury that has prevented him from starting any of the team’s championship outings continues to restrict his role to that of an impact substitute.
Colm O’Neill, who scored a terrific goal in the early stages of last year’s final against Kerry and who played a significant role in the late comeback against Dublin last month, remains on the bench, as manager Conor Counihan continues his policy of retaining plenty of options in reserve.
There will still be reservations about Canty’s ultimate fitness but having seen the decision to start him in the semi-final backfire, Counihan is unlikely to risk a less than fully fit player, especially with the additional precedent of the hurling final in which Kilkenny’s most influential player, Henry Shefflin, had to retire after 13 minutes having taken a cruciate injury into the match.
There are five changes to the team that lost to Kerry in last year’s final. Out are corner backs Kieran O’Connor and Anthony Lynch, with a long-term injury, Miskella, Nicholas Murphy and Colm O’Neill. Replacing them are Cadogan and Carey, Paudie Kissane, Aidan Walsh and Ciarán Sheehan – all of whom will be starting a senior final for the first time.
There are no survivors of the team that lost the 1999 All-Ireland final to Meath although Murphy is likely to come in for the final 20 minutes whereas Sunday’s line-out features seven changes from that which lost the final to Kerry three years ago. Kieran O’Connor, Ger Spillane, Derek Kavanagh, Conor McCarthy, Kevin McMahon, James Masters and Michael Cussen are gone, with the latter two and McCarthy no longer on the panel.
Down name their side this evening with no changes expected given the virtual certainty that their captain Ambrose Rogers has not recovered from a knee injury.
CORK (SFC v Down): A Quirke; E Cadogan, M Shields, R Carey; N O’Leary, G Canty (capt.), P Kissane; A O’Connor, A Walsh; C Sheehan, P O’Neill, P Kelly; D Goulding, D O’Connor, P Kerrigan.
TYRONE (MFC v Cork): C Spiers; S McGarrity, C Clarke HP McGeary; N Sludden, M Donaghy, E Deeney; H Óg Conlon, C Grugan; R Donnelly, T Canavan, R Devlin; S Tierney, J McCullagh, R Ó Néill.
