DUBLIN SENIOR hurling manager Michael O'Grady has watched his team reel off three wins out of three in Division Two of the National Hurling League - but so has his Cork counterpart, Jimmy Barry Murphy. On Sunday, the teams put their unbeaten records on the line at Parnell Park.
Cork will probably go into the game as favourites having demolished stiffer opposition - Dublin have yet to play Ant rim or Waterford - but O'Grady says his team is maturing into a well balanced, confident side.
"The players are willing to learn," he says. "In every match we ask them to concentrate one some aspect of their game, to improve, say, the quality of the clearances from defence, and they do it. They are developing all the time, our half back line has improved with every game and a half back line is the backbone off any team."
O'Grady has been forced to make one change from the side that trounced London in Ruislip on March 30th. Corner back Andy O'Callaghan picked up an injury in that game and is replaced by Simon Duignan.
The team has thoroughly enjoyed the benign weather conditions of recent weeks and O'Grady himself says he has rediscovered his appetite for league hurling.
"It's fabulous - I never thought I'd be enjoying league hurling again. The weather is great, crowds are coming out and the games are being played nearly at championship pace. It's the best thing that ever happened to hurling, there can be no going back to the dark days of winter hurling."
The Kilkenny manager, Nicky Brennan, has made three changes for Sunday's clash with Offaly in Birr. The James Stephens player Peter Barry, 23, makes his senior debut, replacing the injured Dan O'Neill at midfield. John Costello comes in for his first game of the league wing back Mark Dowling is also injured while Charlie Carter replaces Adrian Ronan at corner forward.
Laois and Wexford get the chance to put some points on the table when they meet at Portlaoise. Laois manager Barbs Keating has to plan without injured defenders John Taylor and Seamus Donley they are replaced by Pat Mahon and Barry McEvoy.
The Galway Clare game has been switched by the Galway county board from Ballinasloe to Athenry.
Galway under 21 footballers, meanwhile, face Mayo in the Connacht final this Sunday at Castlebar. Two of the Mayo players, Shane Fitzmaurice and David Heaney, are currently with the rest of the Mayo senior squad in Tunisia and will only get back to Ireland in the early hours of Saturday morning. Mayo make one change from the team that beat Sligo in the semifinal, Robert Fahey coming into the attack in place of Paul McGarry.
Waterford have made three changes from the team beaten emphatically by Cork in the last round of the national hurling league. They play Meath in Dungarvan on Sunday but manager Gerald McCarthy is forced to plan without injured defenders Sean Cullinane and Brian Greene. They are replaced by Michael O'Sullivan and Liam O'Connor respectively, while Ray Whitty makes way for Brendan Landers in goal.
Wexford have deterred team selection pending news on Tom Dempsey, Rory McCarthy and Dave Guiney.
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