Laois are forced to delay selection

Team news: Concerns about how to best cover for the loss of Kevin Fitzpatrick have forced Laois to delay naming their team for Sunday's All-Ireland football quarter-final against Armagh in Croke Park.

Mick O'Dwyer and his fellow Laois selectors will wait until after a final training session on Friday evening before finalising their line-up.

The problem they face is deciding on which player to move into the left-half back position left vacant after Fitzpatrick received confirmation on Monday of his four-week suspension, the result of his sending-off in the Leinster final against Kildare.

According to selector Declan O'Loughlin, there are likely to be several positional switches in the defence in their efforts to best cover for Fitzpatrick's loss. Paul McDonald, one of the few defenders to also feature quite regularly in the Laois team this season, is one of the main contenders for the starting place.

It has also been suggested, however, that either one of their midfielders or a forward might go back into the area, which would clear up a place in the attack for Colm Parkinson. Part of the dilemma facing O'Dwyer and his selectors is that the team has been largely unchanged throughout their championship campaign to date, with the same team that beat Dublin in the semi-final also starting against Kildare last Sunday week.

For the time being there are no injury concerns, with the exception of a minor calf injury to Barry Brennan, who appeared in the second half of the Leinster final as a replacement for Gary Kavanagh.

Tyrone manager Mickey Harte has also delayed naming his team for Sunday's opening quarter-final against Fermanagh. Injury doubts remain over full-back options Colin Holmes and Chris Lawn. Holmes trained last night for the first time since before the Ulster final. If he and Lawn, still troubled by a groin strain, fail to make it, regular midfielder Cormac McAnallen is likely to switch to full back for the second successive game.

Forwards Gerard Cavlan and Stephen O'Neill are both fully fit and available for selection.

The Fermanagh team will be finalised after training tomorrow. Manager Dominic Corrigan has no concerns over player injuries.

The Galway team to face Donegal in Monday's first quarter-final game will also be finalised later in the week. Manager John O'Mahony has to consider the fitness of four players - with Sean Óg de Paor (thigh), Michael Donnellan (ankle), Michael Comer (back) and Kevin Brady (jaw) - all on the minor injuries list. Yet there is positive news about captain Kevin Walsh and Matthew Clancy, who are over recent injury problems.

Kerry have also confirmed their key midfielder Darragh Ó Sé has recovered sufficiently from the ankle injury that ruled him out of the Munster final and he is likely to start in their quarter-final against Roscommon - the second of Monday's quarter-finals.

Armagh have decided to wait until tomorrow to name their side to face Laois in the second game on Sunday at Croke Park.

In hurling news, meanwhile, Tipperary and Cork have finalised their teams for tomorrow evening's Munster under-21 hurling final at Semple Stadium in Thurles.

The Cork team that beat Limerick in the semi-final includes two highly regarded members of the senior panel, defender John Gardiner and forward Setanta Ó hAilpÍn. Both players featured prominently in Cork's Munster senior final win over Waterford.

The Tipperary team has an even greater share of senior talent, most notably in corner forward and team captain Eoin Kelly, and also defenders Martin Maher and John Devane. The team named last night shows three changes from the side that started against Clare in their semi-final, with Francis Devanney, Michael Farrell and Ronan O'Brien coming into the forward line in place of Derek Bourke, Conor O'Mahoney and Alan O'Neill.

Elsewhere, Stephen Cluxton's much mooted move to Irish soccer is officially off. It was reported last week the Dublin goalkeeper was invited to a trial with St Patrick's Athletic, with the prospect of at least a temporary signing.

At the time, however, Cluxton was expected to be facing a 12-week suspension for striking an opponent (Armagh's Steven McDonnell) during Dublin's final championship match earlier this month, but it was announced on Monday he would only be sidelined for four weeks.

And with Cluxton now available for his club, Parnells, in the coming weeks, and more significantly in the running for a place on the Irish team that travels to Australia for the International Rules series in October, any such move into soccer has been deferred.

Finally, 18 Dublin GAA clubs will benefit from €3 million in funding under the Sports Capital Grants for 2003. The total amount allocated to sports development projects in Dublin across all sports was €9,735,500 .

Dublin clubs set to benefit this year (all amounts in euro) are Na Fianna (450,000), St Oliver Plunkett's Eoghan Ruadh (300,000) St Peregrine's (250,000) Round Towers (200,000) Thomas Davis (200,000), Skerries Harps (200,000), Craobh Chiaráin (150,000) St Vincent's (150,000) St Laurence O'Toole (150,000) Fingallians (150,000) Erin's Isle (150,000) Ballymun Kickhams (100,000) Naomh Barrog (100,000) Ballinteer St John's (100,000), Naomh Fionnbarra (90,000), Commercials Hurling (70,000), St Mary's GFC, Saggart (60,000), Cumann Naomh Maur (25,000) .

TIPPERARY (Under-21 hurling v Cork): V Doheny: E Buckley, J Devane, M Phelan; M Maher, D Fitzgerald, H Moloney; E Ryan, P Buckley; T Scroope, F Devanney, M Farrell; E Kelly, J O'Brien, R O'Brien.

CORK (Under-21 hurling v Tipperary): M Coleman; S Murphy, G O'Brien, B Murphy; G Callinan, J Gardiner, C O'Connor; P Tierney, K Hartnett; S O'Sullivan, Kieran Murphy (Erins Own), F Murphy; S O hAilpin, D O'Riordan, K Murphy (Sarsfields).