Dooley still a cause for concern

Offaly last night delayed naming their team for the All-Ireland quarter-final meeting with Antrim on Sunday as manager Michael Bond attempts to deal with a minor injury crisis. Both Joe Dooley and John Troy, two key figures in the Offaly attack, are suffering from ailments.

Dooley, who enjoyed a scintillating summer last year, suffered a dead leg in the Leinster final defeat by Kilkenny, was replaced, and has not trained since. It is expected that the Offaly selectors will leave a vacancy in the attack and wait until the weekend before deciding on the fitness of the Seir Kieran player.

Troy has been hampered by flu. The Lusmagh man was subdued against Kilkenny, but enjoyed some sparkling displays in the league and is a vital cog in their attack. However, it is thought that he will have shaken off the bug by the weekend.

There are also some doubts about centre half-back Hubert Rigney. Last year's All-Ireland winning captain strained his groin at training on Friday night and has been restricted since. Again, he will undergo fitness tests later in the week. Daithi Regan remains unavailable, having been dismissed during the Leinster final after an altercation with Kilkenny's Andy Comerford. It is hoped he will receive no more than a one-month suspension.

Antrim have delayed naming their team until this evening. The squad were due to train at Loughgiel last night, but the session was cancelled after incessant rain left the ground unsuitable. They will select after a run-out at Dunloy this evening.

Their one injury concern, Conor Cunning, now seems certain to be available for selection. The Dunloy midfielder was taken off with concussion during the Antrim under-21 side's win against Derry in the Ulster final at the weekend, but has since made a full recovery. Alister Elliott, troubled by a knee injury in recent times, will also start.

"Conor was taken to hospital, but he was released again and is okay," said Antrim manager Seamus Elliott. "Alister has to have an operation on his cruciate ligament at the end of September, but he's okay too and trained at the weekend."

It is generally believed that the team will not vary much from that which comfortably disposed of Derry two Sundays ago. Once again, the defence will be heavily saturated with players from Dunloy, including goalkeeper Shane Elliot and the entire half back line of Seamus Mullan, Sean McMullan and Gary O'Kane. Team adjustments might well be confined to positional switches in the forward lines.

Clare will also tonight release their team to face Galway in the main feature of the weekend's double bill at Croke Park.

Again, manager Ger Loughnane is forced to plan without the pivotal influence of Jamesie O'Connor, still a long-term casualty since breaking his arm in Clare's Munster semi-final replay win against Tipperary. The team's marksman and play-maker will only come back into contention should Clare reach the All-Ireland semi-final stage.

Ollie Baker, the team's talismanic midfielder, is making progress in his bid to recover from the ankle ligaments which forced him to withdrew at a crucial stage of the Munster final loss to Cork. He has not been ruled out as yet and it is possible he will play some part in the local derby against Galway.

Galway also announce their team tonight, having come through their annual provincial final with Roscommon free of injuries. The return of Joe Cooney, who starred with the county in the last decade, along with that of the commanding forward Joe Rabbitte has bolstered an attack that has looked lightweight if skillladen in recent years.

The teams last met in the league when Galway comprehensively defeated Clare. Sunday's game is, however, widely perceived as Galway's last chance of extracting some success from a decade that has seen the sport's profile soar while the county's fortunes dipped steadily.