Two changes for Dublin

LEAGUE WINNERS Dublin make just two changes to the team selected for last month’s league final for tomorrow’s first defence of the county’s Leinster championship against Westmeath.

Fit-again Rory O’Carroll comes in at full back with Jonny Cooper switching to left corner back in place of Kevin O’Brien.

Ciarán Kilkenny comes in to start at centre forward with Diarmuid Connolly moving to the left wing instead former captain Bryan Cullen.

There is one other change to the team that started against Tyrone five weeks ago: Paul Flynn, selected for that match but withdrawn before the start, comes back in to replace substitute that day Jason Whelan.

Michael Darragh Macauley and Cian O’Sullivan make up a new-look championship pairing at centrefield although they played together there regularly during the league.

Two of last year’s All-Ireland winning under-21 side, Jack McCaffrey and Paul Mannion, both of whom had impressive league campaigns, make their senior championship debuts.

Also making their debuts are Darren Daly and Jonny Cooper.

Three Down changes
Meanwhile Down manager James McCartan has named three newcomers in the side to face Derry in Celtic Park on Sunday.

Ryan Boyle, Keith Quinn and under-21 forward Niall Madine. Team captain, Ambrose Rogers makes his first competitive start of the year, lining out at centrefield with Kevin McKernan.

Former All Star Danny Hughes hasn’t made the cut, having missed also the league campaign with a variety – groin, hamstring and calf – of injuries, but he has returned to training and may be called on, on Sunday.

Kerry unchanged
Kerry have named an unchanged side for tomorrow's Munster football semi-final with Waterford in Killarney.

For what will be the county’s second championship outing in six days, manager Eamonn Fitzmaurice selects the starting line-up that comfortably defeated Tipperary also in Fitzgerald Stadium last weekend.

Two players, Jonathan Lyne and Shane Enright, have been added to the bench after recovering from ankle and hamstring injuries respectively.

Captain Eoin Brosnan, also recovering from injury, is again named on the bench.

Kerry’s Colm Cooper, whose 30th birthday is on Monday, is likely to score his 250th point in senior championship football, as his career tally currently stands on 19 goals and 249 points.

Waterford include Gary Hurney, who has recovered from a knee injury and is named by manager Niall Carew at full forward. The county hasn’t beaten Kerry since the famous Walsh Park win of 56 years ago.

According to the Kerry website, it is now 22 matches since Kerry lost in the championship in Killarney.

Meanwhile Clare hurling manager David Fitzgerald introduces three debutants, David McInerney, Conor Ryan and Shane O’Donnell for Sunday’s Munster quarter-final against Waterford on Sunday in Thurles.

All three were involved in the opening league match between the counties, narrowly won by Waterford although Cratloe’s Ryan, listed on the bench, wasn’t introduced.

McInerney from Tulla is chosen at full back, having played in the left corner in the February encounter but Éire Óg’s O’Donnell, a minor last year, is selected to line out again at full forward whereas Ryan starts at centrefield.

KERRY (SFC v Waterford): B Kealy; M Ó Sé, A O’Mahony, F Fitzgerald; T Ó Sé, K Young, P Crowley; A Maher, J Buckley; P Galvin, C Cooper, D Walsh; Declan O’Sullivan, K Donaghy, J O’Donoghue. Subs: B Kelly, B Sheehan, Darran O’Sullivan, K O’Leary, M Griffin, B McGuire, E Brosnan, M Geaney, P Curtin, S Enright, J Lyne.

WATERFORD

(SFC v Kerry): S Enright; T O hUallacháin, N Walsh, M O’Gorman; C Phelan, S Briggs, J Hurney; M O’Gorman, T Prendergast; T Grey, S Aherne, A Doyle; P Whyte, G Hurney, R Aherne.

CLARE (SHC v Waterford): P Kelly; D O’Donovan, D McInerney, S Morey; B Bugler, P Donnellan, P O’Connor; C Galvin, Conor Ryan; J Conlon, T Kelly, Colin Ryan; P Collins, S O’Donnell, C McGrath.

WESTMEATH(SFC v Dublin): G Connaughton; M McCallon, K Gvain, K Maguire; D Harte, P Sharry, J Gaffey; D Duffy, J Heslin; K Martin, C McCormack, J Dolan; G Egan, D Glennon, D Dolan.

LAOIS (SHC v Carlow): E Reilly; B Stapleton, B Campion, J A Delaney; C Healy, M Whelan, G Burke; J Fitzpatrick, J Walsh; S Maher, Z Keenan, W Hyland; J Brophy, T Fitzgerald, B Dunne.

DUBLIN (SFC v Westmeath): S Cluxton; D Daly, R O’Carroll, J Cooper; J McCarthy, G Brennan, J McCaffrey; MD Macauley, C O’Sullivan; P Flynn, C Kilkenny, D Connolly; P Mannion, P Andrews, B Brogan. Â

DOWN (SFC v Derry): B McVeigh; D McCartan, B McArdle, R Boyle; D Rooney, P Turley, K Quinn; A Rogers, K McKernan; N Madine, M Poland, B Coulter; D O’Hare, K King, C Laverty.

DERRY (SFCv Down): E McNicholl; G O’Kane, C McKaigue, R Scott; C Kielt, M Lynch, SL McGoldrick; P Bradley, R Bell; A McAlynn, J Kielt, E Lynn; B Heron, E Bradley, C Devlin. Subs: T Mallon, D Brown, D McBride, B McCallion, C McAtamney, K Johnston, B Gormley, D Mullan, E McGuckian, L Kennedy, A Devlin

.