Soccer: Clinton Morrison, Steve Finnan and Andy O'Brien, all absentees from the Republic of Ireland's European qualifying games against Albania and Georgia in June, have been named by Brian Kerr in his squad for Tuesday week's friendly against Australia at Lansdowne Road.

The most notable omissions from the 20-man panel are Sunderland's new captain, Jason McAteer, and Glen Crowe of Bohemians, while there are no places either for Gary Kelly, Rory Delap or Mark Kennedy.

McAteer's exclusion wasn't entirely unexpected, given the midfielder missed most of the second half of last season through injury, with Kerr insisting the player would be considered again.

"Jason's played very little since Christmas so I'm sure he'll be glad to get back into it and get a run at it, get into the rhythm of playing - but he's not out of my thoughts. There are always younger players coming along who are biting at the heels of more experienced players but Jason has been a very effective player for us, he's scored some crucial goals and he's always been very enthusiastic about playing for Ireland."

Crowe's omission, meanwhile, was put down to a loss of form. "I think Glen would admit he hasn't been in the same form as he was prior to Christmas, when he was playing very, very well," said Kerr.

"The injury he had has taken a bit of a toll, he's not been as sharp or as consistent, but he's still a good player. The fact is I've got Clinton back, but I'd have no problem using Glen again. I don't think by his standards he's playing particularly well, but every player goes through dips and troughs - I'm sure he'll be back sharp soon enough."

Morrison, who dislocated his shoulder in March, returns to the squad after coming through a reserve game for Birmingham City on Wednesday night. "He played the 90 minutes and felt fine. He's hoping to play two more games, Saturday and Wednesday, and to be in the team for the first Premiership match.

"At the very least he should be there or thereabouts. He's very happy with his recovery. He said he got bashed about a bit in the game by a 6ft 4in centre-half - a 'meat head' I think he called him - but he was happy that it was physical; given the nature of his injury, it was a good test."

Kerr also expressed relief that Gary Breen had finally found himself a new club (Sunderland), after being released by West Ham at the end of last season, but remained concerned about Colin Healy's situation - the Corkman was all set to join Sunderland on a free transfer from Celtic, having agreed personal terms and passed a medical, before the Glasgow club claimed they were entitled to compensation, a demand that could end Sunderland's interest in the player. FIFA have been called in to settle the dispute.

"Colin needs to get his situation sorted out, to be training and playing with somebody as soon as possible. I would have thought that he would have been signed by now, given his ability and given how he performed when he got the opportunity in the international team. I just hope he gets sorted out quickly because the season's about to start."

On the subject of Damien Duff's transfer to Chelsea, Kerr appeared less than convinced the move would prove advantageous to the player's international career. Asked if he felt his involvement in the Champions League would be a benefit to the team, Kerr responded: "Which team, Chelsea?

"Well, if he'd stayed at Blackburn he'd have been playing European football. Whether it benefits us . . . it just means there'll be more matches and more demands on him. I'm sure it will be a fantastic challenge for him, if the best players are playing in the Champions League, and he could well improve. I'm sure he'll deal with it very well.

"As he says himself, he's now surrounded by world-class players and he feels he will learn from them. From our point of view, well, we need to be careful on that one, on whether fellas playing for higher-level clubs is much better for Ireland - it also brings along more matches in the Champions League and increases the demands on them, which is fair enough because the clubs are paying them big wages. But more games to get injured in . . . we'll see."

On the merits of a friendly international just three days after the start of the English Premiership season, Kerr conceded its timing would not be popular with club managers, but stressed its usefulness ahead of September's and October's crucial European Championship qualifying games against Russia and Switzerland. "It's not a great time from the clubs' point of view - and I respect that - but it's good for us to get everyone together rather than going straight into the game against Russia.

"It's important to get another game under our belts before Russia. It's an opportunity to look at one or two players, get people back into the international frame of thinking. A lot of the players were worried about what clubs they would be with this season, their personal situations, their wages, and so on. This, then, is a chance to get them back focusing on the huge challenges ahead of us."

Australian manager Frank Farina, meanwhile, has named a full strength 20-man squad for the game, one that includes 14 British-based players, among them Liverpool's Harry Kewell and Leeds's Mark Viduka.

... Nick Colgan, Shay Given's Republic of Ireland understudy, has joined Stockport County on a season-long loan deal from Hibernian.