Lyons waits on McManus

Offaly centrefielder Ciaran McManus has one last chance to stake a claim for selection in tomorrow's high-profile Sigerson Cup clash between UCD and Queens. The shoulder injury he sustained in a floodlit cup match in Dublin has turned out to be less serious than originally thought, according to Offaly manager Tommy Lyons.

"We'll know better tomorrow night (tonight) but the X-rays indicate that the problem is purely bruising around the front and back of the shoulder. If that's the case, it's just a question of pain and we'll see how it settles. He'll be allowed play Sigerson if he can play in the practice match.

"He's a very enthusiastic young man and is very keen to play. We don't want to stop him but we don't want him doing long-term damage to the injury either," said Lyons.

Apart from McManus, Offaly have a full panel to choose from this weekend and travel to Armagh on Sunday in Division 1A with hopes of retaining their NFL title fading but with Lyons confident that two more wins should preserve the county's first-division status for next season.

Tomorrow's Sigerson Cup matches will be generating additional tension amongst inter-county managers in advance of the NFL resumption next Sunday. Ahead of their top-of-the-table clash with Cork on Sunday, Galway manager John O'Mahony will be especially interested in the action at Belfield where Queens University, Belfast, travel to take on 1996 winners UCD.

O'Mahony's focus will be on the three Galway players lining out for the home side, John Divilly, Derek Savage and Declan Meehan. Strangely, NUI Galway (formerly UCG) will not be one of the more closely-watched teams as far as O'Mahony is concerned as none of his players is involved with the local university.

Full forward Padraig Joyce - who is taking a rest from inter-county activity for a couple of weeks after recently sitting exams - will be in action for IT Tralee who are at home to Maynooth whereas panellist Robin Doyle came safely through the Garda College's winning weekend encounter with Jordanstown.

Otherwise O'Mahony will still be missing corner backs Tomas Meehan and Tomas Mannion. Meehan suffered a dislocated knee while playing an under-21 match for his club Caltra whereas Mannion has been taking some time off to concentrate on his farm.

"It'll be a few weeks before he's back," according to O'Mahony. "I'd like to have everyone available all the time but Tomas has a very big farm and it's a difficult season with lambing. He's played 11 seasons for the county so he's entitled to some rest."

All Star centrefielder Kevin Walsh is also resting after some minor knee surgery.

Opponents Cork have no major injury worries although manager Larry Tompkins won't be calling on long-term absentees. "Mark O'Connor, Ciaran O'Sullivan and Damien O'Neill are back in training but they won't be ready for the weekend."

Another familiar face, Colin Corkery, is back in training but not with the panel. "Colin's on a programme we have drawn up but he's not training with the panel. We've been helping him along in different ways and he's been working in a gym with an instructor. There's a lot of work to be done and we'll see what sort of progress he makes."

Brian Canavan, Armagh's joint-manager, is another who will be interested in the action at Belfield tomorrow. Five of his players are involved with Queens - Enda and Justin McNulty, Aidan O'Rourke, Barry O'Hagan and David Wilson - and all are in with a reasonable shout of making the county team which faces Offaly on Sunday in a rare NFL fixture in Crossmaglen.

"I'd say it's the first League match there," says Canavan. "There may have been challenges, but I can't remember playing there in my time."

Donegal's Declan Bonner will also be keeping his ears cocked for bad news with Jimmy McGuinness and Eamonn Reddin in action in Tralee, James Ruane lining out for Athlone IT and Barry Ward in Queens. He sees the Sigerson involvement as double-edged.

"The players are in good enough shape because of it but a hard match on Wednesday isn't the ideal preparation. We'll have to wait and see how they come through." Donegal travel to Omagh.

Seamus McCallan could be back in the Tyrone team for this match despite suffering broken ribs and a punctured lung in the team's last game before the mid-winter break. McCallan made his comeback appearance at the weekend, when he played in a friendly against the county's under-21 side.

Finally Dublin manager Tom Carr won't name his team to play Leitrim until Thursday because of injury doubts concerning Ciaran Whelan (calf), Paddy Christie (ankle) and Ian Robertson who is still recovering from an operation on his ankle ligaments.

Carr has yet to make up his mind on whether to consider Kilmacud pair Ray Cosgrove and Mick O'Keeffe for first-team places after their arduous club campaign which came to a halt with the defeat by Eire Og in last Sunday week's Leinster final second replay - during which both had disappointing matches.

"You would like to see fellas produce their best performances but I feel they can recover. It's just a matter of resurrecting their form."