Shefflin returns to fray as Kilkenny ring the changes

GAELIC GAMES:HENRY SHEFFLIN returns to championship action nine months after having to leave the field early in last year's All-Ireland final having aggravated a cruciate ligament injury.

The seven-time All-Ireland medallist is named at full forward on a team to face Wexford in tomorrow evening’s Leinster hurling semi-final. Brian Cody’s selection gives first championship starts to four players: goalkeeper David Herity, corner back Paul Murphy, wing back Paddy Hogan and corner forward Colin Fennelly.

All Star Tommy Walsh hasn’t recovered yet from a shoulder injury but the first four names on the Kilkenny bench are all former All Stars. Michael Fennelly is fit again after missing the league final defeat by Dublin and resumes his centrefield partnership with Michael Rice.

Elsewhere Donal O’Grady’s first Limerick selection in this year’s championship, against Waterford in Thurles on Sunday, features just three of the players who lined out when the county bowed out of last year’s qualifiers after a controversial year in which most senior panellists declined to make themselves available for the team.

Paul Browne is at centrefield with the manager’s namesake whereas Nicky Quaid, who played in the forwards last year, is named in goal where he played during this season’s successful run to the Division Two title. Graeme Mulcahy is still at corner forward.

Injury keeps out Declan Hannon and David Breen, who played in last month’s league final win over Clare.

Waterford manager David Fitzgerald gives debuts to Darragh Fives, Paudie Mahony and Brian O’Sullivan for the Thurles match.

Meanwhile Wexford football manager Jason Ryan has given a vote of confidence to the team that convincingly defeated Offaly in the first round by naming an unchanged line-out for tomorrow evening’s Leinster quarter-final against Westmeath at Wexford Park.

The match is first up on a double bill, to be followed by the county hurlers taking on reigning provincial champions Kilkenny in a Leinster semi-final.

Finally the GAA’s Disputes Resolution Authority last night granted an interim application by Ballyboden St Enda’s to have their Dublin football championship qualifier against St Mary’s postponed from tonight.

The fixture had originally been made despite Ballyboden having players involved in the Dublin hurlers’ Leinster semi-final against Galway tomorrow week. The rule requiring players to be given a 13-day window before an inter-county championship match is code-specific but the hurlers are reluctant to risk a match so close to the county’s big match.

The matter will have to return for a full hearing but first needs to be heard on appeal by the Leinster Council – last night’s decision being on the grounds of temporary relief.

KILKENNY(SHC v Wexford): D Herity; P Murphy, N Hickey, J Tyrrell; P Hogan, B Hogan, JJ Delaney; M Fennelly, M Rice; TJ Reid, R Power, E Larkin; C Fennelly, H Shefflin, R Hogan.

LIMERICK(SHC v Waterford): N Quaid; D Reale, S Hickey, T Condon; W McNamara, B Geary, G O'Mahoney; D O'Grady, P Browne; J Ryan, T McCarthy, N Moran; S Tobin, K Downes, G Mulcahy.

WATERFORD(SHC v Waterford): C Hennessy; D Fives, W Hutchinson, N Connors; T Browne, M Walsh, K Moran; S O'Sullivan, R Foley; M Shanahan, S Molumphy (capt.), P Mahony; J Mullane, S Walsh, B O'Sullivan.

WEXFORD(SFC v Westmeath): A Masterson; J Wadding, G Molloy, B Malone; A Flynn, D Murphy (capt.), A Doyle; R Quinlivan, D Waters; S Roche, C Lyng, B Brosnan; C Morris, E Bradley, R Barry.

WESTMEATH(SFC v Wexford): G Connaughton; F Boyle, K Gavin, A Finnan; G Egan, K Martin, D Harte; D Daly, D Corroon; P Sharry, D Glennon, C Lynam; P Greville, Denis Glennon, D Dolan.

DONEGAL(SFC v Cavan): P Durcan; K Lacey, N McGee, P McGrath; K Cassidy, A Thompson, M Boyle; R Kavanagh, K Rafferty; M McElhinney, M Hegarty, R Bradley; M McHugh, M Murphy, C McFadden.

LOUTH(SFC v Carlow): S Connor; D Byrne, A Hoey, D Finnegan; R Finnegan, M Fanning, L Shevlin; P Keenan, B Donnelly; D Crilly, D Reid, A Reid; D Maguire, S Lennon, JP Rooney.