Dooher and O'Neill return to boost Tyrone's ambitions in Ulster

BRIAN DOOHER makes his return to the Tyrone team for this Sunday’s championship meeting with Antrim in Casement Park, the first time since the Ulster champions’ defeat by Cork in last year’s All-Ireland semi-final.

Former Footballer of the Year Stephen O’Neill is also named after missing all of the county’s NFL campaign, which saw them relegated from Division One, with a dislocated elbow.

Mickey Harte’s team for what is a re-run of last season’s Ulster final features 11 of the side that lost to Cork and one debutant, Martin Swift at corner back.

Antrim’s Brendan Herron has shaken off injury to start on Sunday but another former hurler Michael Magill has been dropped from the panel by manager Liam Bradley for unspecified disciplinary reasons.

Meanwhile, Offaly name two newcomers in the side to face Meath in Sunday’s Leinster championship in Portlaoise. Niall McNamee is named at corner forward despite mounting speculation in the county that he will not have shaken off a quad injury in time for the match.

Corner back Pádraic Sullivan joins his older brother Shane in the defence and Dubliner John Coughlan, qualified under the parentage rule and a nephew of Offaly All-Ireland hurling winner Eugene Coughlan, takes his place at centrefield beside Ciarán McManus, who starts his 15th championship with the county.

Clare manager Micheál McDermott makes six changes to the team that lost in the NFL to Waterford last month for the counties’ Munster first round on Sunday in Dungarvan.

Meanwhile, The 2010 GAA Féile na nGael finals, sponsored by Coca-Cola, were officially launched in the Michael Cusack Centre in Carron, Clare, yesterday by association president Christy Cooney. Also in attendance were current Clare hurler John Conlon and former Clare hurling player and manager Ger Loughnane.

This is the 40th anniversary of the Féile na nGael competitions, which are the All-Ireland under-14 hurling, camogie and handball finals.

This year the finals take place throughout Clare from 18th-20th June. Up to 4,000 youths, from clubs throughout Ireland and beyond, will participate in the finals over the three days of competition.

Line-ups

TYRONE (SFC v Antrim):P McConnell; M Swift, Justin McMahon, D Carlin; D Harte, R McMenamin, P Jordan; K Hughes, C Cavanagh; B Dooher, S Cavanagh, Joe McMahon; M Penrose, S O'Neill, O Mulligan.

ANTRIM:J Finucane; C Brady, A Douglas, K O'Boyle; T Scullion, J Crozier, S Kelly; A Gallagher, B Herron; T O'Neill, K Niblock, J Loughrey; P Cunningham, M McCann, T McCann.

OFFALY (SFC v Meath):A Mulhall; B Darby, S Brady, P Sullivan; S Sullivan, R Dalton, K Slattery; C McManus, J Coughlan; N Darby, B Connor, S Ryan; K Casey, J Reynolds, N McNamee.

LONGFORD (SFC v Louth):D Sheridan; D Brady, D Masterson, S Hannon; S Mulligan, E Williams, P Foy; A O'Connor, B Gilleran; P Dowd, F McGee, K Mulligan; D Reilly, B Kavanagh, P Barden.

CLARE (SFC v Waterford):J Hayes; M Tubridy, B Duggan, B Carrig; M McMahon, G Kelly, D Callinan; G Quinlan, G Brennan; M O'Shea, P O'Dwyer, A Clohessy; D Tubridy, D Russell, D Daly.