McGeeney returns to centre stage

Countdown to All-Ireland SFC semi-final: Joe Kernan has recalled captain Kieran McGeeney to his Armagh team for Sunday's All-Ireland football semi-final against Tyrone. Although he was selected to line out in the quarter-final against Laois last Saturday week, McGeeney didn't play as Kernan took a precautionary approach to his slight hamstring problem.

As expected though, McGeeney will fill the centre-back position for the latest clash with their old Ulster rivals - the third meeting of the season and seventh of the last five years.

Kernan has made a couple of other switches in making way for McGeeney's return, moving Aidan O'Rourke into the wing-back position as an indirect swap for Enda McNulty, and leaving Ciarán McKeever at corner back.

O'Rourke was the late replacement for McGeeney the last day and clearly impressed Kernan enough to warrant his inclusion. McKeever, in fact, switched into the full-back line during the match, with Andy Mallon operating in the half-back line, but Mallon is again set to line out at corner back.

There is one direct change in the forward line with Paddy McKeever recalled to the starting line-up in place of John McEntee. The demotions of McEntee and MnNulty are the only changes from the team that eased by Laois by nine points.

Opponents Tyrone will announce their starting line-up after training this evening, and with manager Mickey Harte reporting a clean bill of health in his panel, the main talking point will be whether he recalls Peter Canavan, who missed last Saturday's quarter-final replay win over Dublin because of a stomach sickness.

Joe McMahon was the late call-up on that occasion, operating at midfield while Seán Cavanagh adopted an attacking role.

Armagh drew with their old rivals in the Ulster final on July 10th and then staged a remarkable recovery to win the replay by two points. That recent five-year record between the teams has three wins for Armagh, two for Tyrone, and two draws. But more importantly, Armagh are now unbeaten since the first round of the National League against Wexford in February, with a record of 15 wins and two draws.

The curtain-raiser for Sunday's game is the Tommy Murphy Cup final, involving Wexford against Tipperary, which has a 1.30 throw-in. Wexford have managed to get this far without a manager and without any serious training sessions, and won't be finalising a team until just before the throw-in - as has been the case since their championship exit at the hands of Monaghan.

Manager Pat Roe stepped down in the aftermath of that game, and Wexford have been managed by the selection team of Michael Furlong, Ger Halligan and Dec Carty. That hasn't stopped Wexford playing some competitive football, as proven by their nine-point win over Longford (3-19 to 2-13) in their semi-final a fortnight ago, led by who else but Matty Forde.

Tipperary managed to get past Roscommon in their semi-final, and Sunday's game presents a rare opportunity for Declan Browne to parade his exceptional talents at GAA headquarters.

Meanwhile, news on the managerial front has seen both Mattie Kerrigan and Eamonn McEnaney withdraw their names from the list of challengers to Seán Boylan in the contest for the Meath senior position next year. Boylan was nominated for a 24th successive year, and while six names originally agreed to run against him, that number is now reduced to just four - and will possibly dwindle further before the final vote next Monday night.

Kerrigan, the former Westmeath and Cavan manager, and McEnaney, who currently manages the club side Trim, announced their withdrawals yesterday. Eamonn Barry, his brother Martin, Paddy Carr and Benny Reddy also went forward at last week's meeting. It is reported that both Carr and Martin Barry will also with draw over the coming days.

Finally, the Gaelic Players Association (GPA) have announced their intention to focus greater attention on the issue of insurance for intercounty players. A recent survey among the intercounty playing body, commissioned by the GPA and produced by UCD, is set to indicate that almost 50 per cent of players have at some point suffered direct financial loss through injury.

The GPA feel that considering the collective financial contribution the intercounty playing body makes to the association there is no justification for their suffering in this manner.

"The role of the player," they say, "must be reviewed within the context of the modern GAA environment, if a sustainable positive relationship between the playing body and official units of the association is to be maintained moving forward."

ARMAGH (SF v Tyrone): P Hearty; A Mallon, F Bellow, C McKeever; A Kernan, K McGeeney, A O'Rourke; P Loughran, P McGrane; M O'Rourke, P McKeever, O McConville; S McDonnell, R Clarke, B Mallon.