Clare start the guessing game

HURLING CHAMPIONSHIP 2002: Clare have left a vacancy at left wing back for Sunday's All-Ireland final against Kilkenny. The vacancy is caused by the injury to Gerry Quinn who sustained a badly broken hand in the dying minutes of the semi-final victory over Waterford. Otherwise there will be no changes for the first final against Kilkenny in 70 years.

There are three possibilities for filling this vacancy. The first and least likely is that Quinn, who has just had the pins removed from his hand, will recover in time. There had been a lot of emotional talk after the semi-final about giving Quinn until "three twenty five" on the day of the final to prove his fitness.

But manager Cyril Lyons has been emphatic this week that Quinn has no chance of lining out and the player isn't listed among the substitutes. Conor Plunkett has been favoured to step into the vacancy after impressing in the quarter-final against Galway when he was introduced as a replacement. But he is a young player whom the management might feel too inexperienced to come in on such a big day.

The other option is to bring John Reddan back from centrefield and start Ollie Baker, veteran of the All-Ireland triumphs of 1995 and '97. Reddan has some experience of wing back whereas Baker has been gaining form coming in as a replacement in the later stages of matches.

Former Clare hurler Johnny Callinan, from the great team of the 1970s, says that Plunkett would be a good choice.

"I'm less than objective here," he says - "Conor's a neighbour's child and from the same club as myself - but I believe that he's the right stuff and would be able to cope with the pressure. Then again I was down training the other evening and Ollie Baker's not making the decision any easier for the management. He is in fantastic shape and I'd say he'll never be fitter."

The speculation is an echo of Clare's last All-Ireland final when Ger Loughane caused controversy by naming Fergal Hegarty in the team but starting Niall Gilligan on the day. This was explained as being designed to shield Gilligan from pressure of publicity ahead of his first championship start.

There were indications last night that Baker would start with Reddan dropping back to the defence but that could be a re-run of the Gilligan strategem to protect Plunkett.

Kilkenny will anounce their team tonight. There is intense speculation that manager Brian Cody will make changes to the side that beat Tipperary in the semi-final.

Right corner forward Eddie Brennan's place is said to be under pressure from veteran Charlie Carter with the only caveat being that Carter would pose more of a threat coming into the match than Brennan. But in the 2000 final Brennan scored a goal after coming in as a substitute.

Wing forward Brian McEvoy is also the subject of speculation with Jimmy Coogan who came in as a replacement in the semi-final - and scored the critical goal - being mentioned as a possible starter.

Galway manager John O'Mahony has made one change in his under-21 team to face Kerry in the All-Ireland semi-final in Ennis on Saturday. Nicholas Joyce, a substitute in the one-point Connacht final win over Mayo last month, is given the starting place at left corner forward.

GALWAY (Under-21 FC v Kerry): D Morris; C Monaghan, K Fitzgerald, R Murray; K Brady, D Blake, M Comer; J Bergin, K Comer; D Burke, M Clancy, D Hanley; M Meehan, D O'Brien, N Joyce.