CHAMPIONSHIP 2009 NEWS:TYRONE HAVE recalled All Star centrefielder Enda McGinley for Sunday's All-Ireland semi-final against Munster champions Cork. It will be his first start in two months after sustaining a hamstring injury in training in the lead-up to last month's Ulster final against Antrim.
The selection is one of a couple of tactical switches by Mickey Harte and his management team. McGinley resumes his partnership with Kevin Hughes, allowing Seán Cavanagh to return to the forwards where he will lead the attack.
Tommy McGuigan is the player to lose out from the side that started against Kildare in the All-Ireland quarter-final.
The other potentially significant selection is the switching of full back Justin McMahon and the versatile Conor Gormley. McMahon’s height is seen as an advantage in coping with Cork’s big centre forward Pearse O’Neill, at whom a lot of the team’s kick-outs are directed.
Despite having made a cumulative eight trips to All-Ireland semi-finals this decade the counties have not been drawn together until now. The only previous occasion on which they contested a senior championship match was in 1973 when Cork, on the way to winning the All-Ireland, won comfortably.
Meanwhile, contrary to indications, there will be no immediate announcement about the future of Monaghan manager Séamus McEnaney, who had been expected to consult the county board and make a statement about his intentions after five years in charge.
According to county PRO Siobhán McQuillan: “There will be no statement until September 1st at the earliest. Séamus McEnaney has requested further time to consider his plans and we have agreed to that request.”
The GAA announced yesterday that the All Stars tours, the end of which was being speculated on a few weeks ago, will continue and this year’s trip will be to Buenos Aires. The exhibition matches will involve the 2008 and 2009 hurling All Stars and will be the second visit – the previous was in 2001 – to the Argentinian capital since the tours were revived this decade. It will take place in December and will be sponsored by Vodafone.
Elsewhere the Connacht Council have announced that work on their proposed Centre of Excellence can now begin, as the period for objections to An Bord Pleanála is now elapsed.
The council purchased a 60-acre site at Cloonacurry, Bekan – on the Knock-Ballyhaunis road – and Connacht secretary John Prenty said that preparations would begin immediately.
“Contract prices have reduced substantially in recent times, so we should get good value now,” he said. The centre will feature six outdoor GAA pitches, a state-of-the-art indoor pitch, gymnasium, and related facilities.
“We expect to start advertising for tenders for the work in the coming weeks, and we would hope to have work commenced by late autumn,” he added. Money generated by rugby and soccer internationals in Croke Park has been earmarked for the project.
Finally Ireland track stars Derval O’Rourke, David Gillick, who runs today in the 400 metres final at the World Athletics championships in Berlin, and Paul Hession will captain their respective provinces in Sunday’s 6x100 yards relay race at Croke Park.
The GAA and Athletics Ireland yesterday released details of the race, which will take place at half-time during the Cork-Tyrone All-Ireland football semi-final. It has been organised to commemorate the GAA’s historical connection with athletics in Ireland as part of the association’s 125th anniversary celebrations.
The athletes will be returning a day early from Berlin to take part in the event, which will also feature representatives of Gaelic games.
When founded, the GAA was primarily concerned with providing an athletics outlet for ordinary people and the association’s first president Maurice Davin was a champion athlete, now commemorated by the stand at the Canal End of Croke Park, as was Pat Nally after whom the old Nally Stand was named.
Many of the Irish field athletes who won medals at the early Olympic Games at the turn of the last century for other countries, most frequently the US, developed as athletes within the GAA.
TYRONE (SF v Cork): P McConnell; PJ Quinn, C Gormley, R McMenamin; D Harte, Justin McMahon, P Jordan; K Hughes, E McGinley; B Dooher, S Cavanagh, Joe McMahan; M Penrose, S O’Neill, O Mulligan.
GAA 125 INTERPROVINCIAL
SUPER SPRINT RELAY
MUNSTER (Lane 1) Leg 1: Ailis McSweeney (Leevale AC); leg 2: David Quilligan (Leevale AC); leg 3: James McEnerney (hurling); leg 4: Derval O’Rourke capt (Leevale AC); leg 5: Angela Walsh (women’s football); leg 6: David O’Shea (Dooneen AC).
CONNACHT (Lane 2) Leg 1: Caoimhe King (Westport AC), Paul Hession capt (Athenry AC); leg 3: Alan Kerins (hurling); leg 4: Sharon Kilduff (Claremorris AC); leg 5: Paul Brady (handball); leg 6: Lorcan O Catháin (Roscommon AC)
ULSTER (Lane 3) Leg 1: Anna Boyle capt (Ballymena and Antrim AC); leg 2: Jonathan Holmes (Kilkenny City Harriers AC); leg 3: James Loughrey (football); leg 4: Mary McLoone (Tír Chonaill AC); leg 5: Philip Brady (rounders); leg 6: Stuart Connor (St Michael’s AC).
LEINSTER (Lane 4) Leg 1: Louise Kiernan (Fingallians AC); leg 2: Stephen Colvert (Crusaders AC); leg 3: Coman Goggins (football); leg 4: Clare Bergin (Dundrum South Dublin AC); leg 5: Ciara Durkan (camogie); leg 6: David Gillick capt (Dundrum South Dublin AC).
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