THE TIPPERARY hurling team to play Offaly in the National League at O’Connor Park, Tullamore on Sunday shows nine changes from the side that lost to Cork with Darren Gleeson, Paul Curran, David Young, Hugh Maloney, Seamus Hennessy, Seamus Callanan, Jody Brennan, Darragh Egan and Michael Heffernan all getting a run out.

Tullamore club-mates Stephen Egan and Shane Kelly are both selected to start a game for Offaly for the first time on Sunday.

There are five changes to the team that started against Waterford, with Egan, Kelly, Dylan Hayden, Joe Brady and Cathal Parlon starting in place of David Franks, James Rigney, Stephen Wynne, Brian Carroll and Ger Healion.

Full back Shane Kavanagh has been named as captain of Galway for this year’s hurling championship. The 26-year-old has captained the county throughout the league but now John McIntyre and his selectors have chosen the Kinvara man to lead them into their second campaign in Leinster.

Kavanagh takes over the captaincy from Ollie Canning, who will serve as vice-captain this year. An All-Ireland minor winner in 2000, Kavanagh made his senior championship debut in 2004 and was centre back the following year when they were defeated by Cork in the All-Ireland final.

Kavanagh has already lifted the Walsh Cup for Galway this year and will captain them when they bid for their ninth National League crown against Cork on May 2nd.

OFFALY(SH v Tipperary): J Dempsey; M Verney, P Cleary, S Egan; D Hayden, D Kenny, D Morkan; R Hanniffy, S Kelly; D Currams, J Brady, D Molloy; C Parlon, J Bergin, S Dooley.

TIPPERARY(SH v Offaly): D Gleeson; P Stapleton, P Maher, P Curran; D Young, C O'Mahony, M Cahill; H Maloney, S McGrath; S Hennessy, S Callanan, J Brennan; E Kelly (capt), D Egan, M Heffernan.

CORK(SH v Galway): A Nash; B Murphy, D Cunningham, C O'Sullivan; M Walsh, S Og O hAilpin, R Ryan; J O'Connor, W Egan; F O'Leary, C McCarthy, B O'Connor; K Murphy (Sarsfields), M Cussen, L O'Farrell.