Captain Dooher back for Tyrone

GAELIC GAMES News round-up: All-Ireland champions Tyrone welcome back team captain Brian Dooher for Sunday's Ulster football semi-final against Donegal. Dooher missed the quarter-final win over Fermanagh with an ankle injury but has recovered sufficiently to take his familiar place at right-half forward.

As predicted by manager Mickey Harte, last year's captain Peter Canavan is named among the substitutes and is expected to make an appearance at some stage in Clones. Should that transpire, it will be Canavan's first step into competitive football since last September's All-Ireland win over Armagh.

Dooher's return is one of two changes in Tyrone's starting line-up from the last day. His inclusion in the half-forward line allows Owen Mulligan to push forward to the inside line, with Colm McCullagh making way.

Gerard Cavlan, who made a significant impact against Fermanagh when introduced as a second-half substitute, will partner Seán Cavanagh at midfield, with Colin Holmes the player to lose out there. Kevin Hughes has recovered from a minor hamstring strain to complete the full-forward line with Mulligan and Mark Harte.

Donegal, as expected, will be without their highly influential wing back Kevin Cassidy, whose knee injury, suffered in a club game earlier this month, will keep him sidelined for several more weeks.

His place for Sunday's game goes to Shane Carr, who made a late appearance in the quarter-final win over Antrim. There is one other change from that starting line-up with Brian Roper returning to the half-forward line in place of Stephen McDermott. Roper failed to start the last day because of a family bereavement.

There was a late injury concern surrounding centre forward Michael Hegarty but he was passed fit to play, while Brendan Boyle, scorer of their goal against Antrim, will again partner Brian McLoughlin at midfield.

The Ulster Council, incidentally, hasn't escaped criticism following their decision to switch next month's provincial final between Armagh and either Tyrone or Donegal from Clones to Croke Park. Several publicans in Clones have claimed the border town will lose around €600,000 as a result.

In Connacht, Roscommon make just one change in personnel for their provincial semi-final against Leitrim in Carrick-on-Shannon. David Casey, who was unable to start in the memorable replay against Sligo because of injury, returns to the half-back line in place of John Rogers.

There are some positional switches elsewhere, with Frankie Dolan moving back to centre forward and Nigel Dineen going inside. Gary Cox and Brian Higgins swap wing-forward positions, while Ger Heneghan, who scored one of the penalties the last day along with goalkeeper Shane Curran, is named at left-corner forward.

Casey did appear as a substitute in the course of extra-time against Sligo, replacing Dineen on that occasion.

In hurling news, Dublin will start Sunday's Leinster semi-final against Offaly at Croke Park with just two changes from the team that beat Westmeath a week ago. With Conal Keaney suspended, David Sweeney returns from injury to partner Carl Meehan at midfield.

Stephen Perkins is also back to full fitness and will play at full-back, with Aodan de Paor moved to right-half back in the defensive reshuffle, and Stephen Hiney losing out.

Laois have made more sweeping changes for their All-Ireland preliminary qualifier match against Westmeath, set for Portlaoise tomorrow evening. Lar Mahon, Pat Mahon and Alan Delaney are all given starting places, while team captain David Cuddy moves from midfield to full forward, with Liam Tynan switching to centre back.

Paul Cooney moves to full back with Darren Rooney, who will also line out for the county footballers on Sunday, switched to right-half forward.

TYRONE (SF v Donegal): J Devine; R McMenamin, C Gormley, C Gourley; J McMahon, G Devlin, P Jordan; G Cavlan. S Cavanagh; B Dooher, B McGuigan, S O'Neill; M Harte, K Hughes, O Mulligan.

DONEGAL (SF v Tyrone): P Durcan; N McCready, R Sweeney, D Diver; E McGee, B Monaghan, S Carr; B Boyle, B McLoughlin; C Toye, M Hegarty, B Roper; C McFadden, A Sweeney, B Devenney.

ROSCOMMON (SF v Leitrim): S Curran; J Whyte, M Ryan, J Nolan; D Casey, F Grehan, P Noone; S O'Neill, S Lohan; B Higgins, F Dolan, G Cox; N Dineen, K Mannion, G Heneghan.

DUBLIN (SH v Offaly): G Maguire; D Spain, S Perkins, S Daly; A de Paor, R Fallon, K Ryan; D Sweeney, C Meehan; D Curtin, L Ryan, M Carton; D O'Callaghan, K Flynn, D Donnelly.

LAOIS (SH v Westmeath): K Galvin; L Mahon, P Cuddy, A Delaney; J Fitzpatrick, L Tynan, M McEvoy; J Young, J Walsh; D Rooney, P Mahon, C Cuddy; T Fitzgerald, D Cuddy, D Culleton.