Dooley opts to mix elite names with unknowns

COMPROMISE RULES:THERE IS an interesting mix of the country's elite hurlers and some complete unknowns in Joe Dooley's 18-man squad to face Scotland's shinty side in a compromise rules fixture on Saturday in Kildare.

Captained by Kilkenny’s Michael Rice, Tipperary captain Eoin Kelly is joined by fellow county man Brendan Maher while Offaly’s Joe Bergin is the other household name included.

The rest of the players are spread across nine counties, five of which – Kildare, Tyrone, Mayo, Kerry and Wicklow – didn’t compete in the 2011 Liam McCarthy Cup.

The first Test takes place in Athy on Saturday at 3pm with the return leg in Inverness, Scotland seven days later at 2pm. Both matches will be preceded by an under-21 fixture where Limerick forward Declan Hannon should make his presence felt.

Dooley, who recently stepped down as Offaly manager, is joined on the Irish management team by Kevin Ryan (Carlow) and Jim McKernan (Antrim), while Michael Walsh and John Meyler oversee the under-21s.

IRELAND SQUAD: P Mullaney (Laois), A Graffin (Antrim), C Donnelly (Antrim), D Kennedy (Kildare), T Murnane (Kerry), B Maher (Tipperary), K Divilly (Kildare), E Price (Westmeath), M Rice (Kilkenny, capt), W Hyland (Laois), B Murtagh (Westmeath), E Nolan (Carlow), J Bergin (Offaly), E Kelly (Tipperary), A O'Brien (Wicklow), D Maguire (Tyrone), J Doran (Kildare), S Morley.

IRELAND UNDER-21s:E Reilly (Laois), M Armstrong (Antrim), J Coyne (Roscommon), D English (Carlow), J Gilligan (Westmeath), C Grogan (Tyrone), D Hannon (Limerick), J Leahy (Kerry), A McGrath (Westmeath), B Murphy (Kerry), K Murphy (Westmeath), S Nolan (Kerry), D O'Connell (Kerry, capt), B O'Meara (Westmeath), E O'Neill (Kildare), M Purcell (Kildare), M Quinn (Leitrim), O Walsh (Kilkenny).