Sport

Masters fit but Cork must do without Lynch

Gaelic Games: Anthony Lynch has lost his battle to be fit for Sunday's All-Ireland football final against Kerry.

Seán Moran GAA Correspondent
Fri Sept 14 2007 - 01:00

Gaelic Games:Anthony Lynch has lost his battle to be fit for Sunday's All-Ireland football final against Kerry.

Billy Morgan and the Cork selectors announced the team last night and revealed that the experienced Naomh Abán defender has had to be replaced, as his hand injury would not have healed in time after minor surgery this week.

According to county PRO, Bob Ryan, the team's replacement list will not be released until the weekend, and he declined to rule out the possibility that Lynch could be named among the match panel depending on how the injury responds in the final days before Sunday.

Better news for the team comes in the expected return of top scorer James Masters, who has fully recovered from the broken jaw sustained in the quarter-final win over Sligo, and takes his place in the usual position of right corner forward.

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Those are the only two changes from the side that comfortably defeated Meath in last month's All-Ireland semi-final. Masters replaces Daniel Goulding, the stylish under-21 All-Ireland winner who stepped in for the last match, whereas Conor McCarthy starts at wing forward as an indirect replacement for Lynch.

This means that John Miskella, who has played at wing forward for the past two matches - scoring the team's only goal against Sligo - makes the widely predicted switch to wing back.

Miskella is an experienced wing back and will have no difficulty slotting into the position, which he filled for the final qualifier round against Louth as replacement for right wing back Noel O'Leary, who had been suspended. after the Munster final.

McCarthy's call-up had also been speculated on earlier in the week, but may have been a hard call despite reports of exceptional form at training, as the Skibbereen player had been providing a consistent lift for the team on his regular introduction as an impact sub.

Morgan and his selectors are obviously confident he'll be able to replicate that form from the throw-in on Sunday.

Lynch's absence means only Nicholas Murphy remains from the last team to represent Cork in an All-Ireland final eight years ago, when the county lost to Meath, although goalkeeper Alan Quirke was a member of the panel that day.

Murphy's centrefield partner and captain, Derek Kavanagh, also has a link with the 1999 team, as his brother, Joe, lined out at centre forward.

Cork are hoping to complete an All-Ireland football double this year at under-21 and senior but, in the absence of Goulding, only Michael Shields starts both finals. He was full back when the county beat Laois in the under-21 final - also managing to set up the pivotal goal - and starts this weekend at right corner back.

The team shows three changes from the line-up that lost the Munster final to Kerry in July. Quirke is back in goal after injury in place of Paddy O'Shea, Miskella comes in for Lynch and McCarthy starts instead of Fintan Goold.

CORK: A Quirke; M Shields, G Canty, K O'Connor; N O'Leary, G Spillane, J Miskella; D Kavanagh, N Murphy; C McCarthy, P O'Neill, K McMahon; J Masters, M Cussen, D O'Connor.