Emerson big doubt for Kildare tie

LAOIS captain Hugh Emerson is given only a 50-50 chance of making Sunday's big first-round match against Kildare in the Leinster championship. Emerson damaged his ankle in last weekend's challenge against Carlow and had to be carried off the pitch.

Despite this, initial indications were positive and the player himself believed the injury wasn't serious, but at training on Monday night, the ankle was swollen and bruised and an anxious wait began for both player and team.

The county's centre forward had been in outstanding form until last week. He has been particularly affected by the terrible events that befell the Maher family as Colm Maher, the final of the seven deaths from the fire in Portarlington, was a club-mate.

Emerson's place is left vacant and should he fail to come through, David Sweeney, a teammate on the Leinster-winning under-21 side of two years ago, is expected to get the nod.

Both Laois and Kildare make a number of changes for Sunday's match. From the teams that contested the Division One relegation play-off in March, Kildare - although they won that match 2-12 to 0-11 - make four changes and Laois two.

Dual player Cyril Duggan, Laois's full back that day, has been forced to choose between the footballers and hurlers and being primarily a hurler, drops out of the reckoning for Sunday with the crucial hurling semi-final against Offaly only 10 days away.

He is replaced by Eamonn Delaney, normally a wing back at senior level but who played full back in the under-21s. Elsewhere, P J Dempsey comes in at centrefield with Denis Lalor and Adrian Phelan moving back to the exclusion of Jim Kavanagh.

Laois give championship debuts to three players, wing backs Brian Kirwan and Damien Ryan, and last year's outstanding minor Ian Fitzgerald at right wing forward.

Manager Dermot Earley, pursuing his first championship victory with Kildare, drops corner back Martin Ryan, utility corner forward John Whelan and left wing forward Brian Walsh. Regular League midfielder Martin Murray has a knee ligament injury and is therefore unavailable.

Ken Doyle drops back to replace Ryan and his place on the left wing of the defence goes to Anthony Rainbow, returned from UN duty in the Lebanon. Murray's place goes to Martin Lynch who although no stranger to the middle, played full forward in the play-off and scored a goal. The widely-used Noel Donlon slots in on the edge of the square.

The senior hurling challenge match between Laois and Galway, in aid of the Maher family fund, takes place at 7.30 p.m. this evening at O'Moore Park. It had to be brought back from last Monday because of Galway's own bereavement, the death of Hurling Board chairman Tom Callanan in a car crash last Friday.

Further contributions to the Maher fund can be made this Sunday outside Croke Park where well-known personalities from a number of counties will take up a collection outside the ground.

Among those present will be: From Dublin - Paul Curran, Dessie Farrell, Joe McNally, Jim Gavin and Charlie Redmond; Kerry - Mike Sheehy and Eoin Liston; Meath Mattie Kerrigan, Mick Lyons, Gerry McEntee, Padraig Lyons, Robbie O'Malley, PJ Gillic, Liam Harnan and Michael McQuillan; Kildare - Tommy Carew, Ollie Crinnigan, John Crofton and Paddy O'Donoghue; Offaly - Richie Connor and Padraig Dunne.

Laois players present will include: Pat Roe, Martin Dempsey, John Costelloe, Tom Prendergast, Tom Smith, Noel Roe, Sean Dempsey, Stevie Allen, Seamus Hunt, Declan O'Loughlin and Eamonn Whelan.