NHL TEAM NEWS:CORK MANAGER Denis Walsh has again shaken up his team selection for the big NHL clash of the weekend, against Tipperary in Páirc Uí Chaoimh. He has made seven changes to the team that defeated Dublin last week to stay clear at the top of Division One.
Three of the changes have been forced on him by the unavailability of Ben O’Connor, Niall McCarthy and Shane Murphy, but it is the second successive match that Walsh has changed half of the team.
Once again he rotates the goalkeeping position with Martin Coleman – one of three ’keepers to appear in this campaign – stepping in and Donal Cusack dropping out. Shane Murphy is replaced at corner back by namesake Brian whereas John Gardiner, rested last week, is back in, at wing back rather than centrefield, instead of Aidan Ryan.
Again Walsh goes with a new centrefield combination, this time pairing the established Tom Kenny with last year’s under-21 Lorcan McLoughlin, who previously started against Offaly. Cathal Naughton goes to the wing instead of Graham Callinan.
Tadhg Murphy is in for Ben O’Connor and Walsh dispenses with the twin towers attack of Aisake Ó hAilpín and Michael Cussen with the latter reverting to the bench, allowing Jerry O’Connor in at centre forward in a completely changed half-forward line.
Opponents Tipperary, who need the win more urgently than their hosts, field a more conservative adjustment, as manager Liam Sheedy makes just two changes to the side that drew with Waterford a week ago.
Captain Eoin Kelly, who has recovered from injury, returns in place of John O’Brien and Shane Maher is replaced at left-wing back by Michael Cahill.
Brendan Maher continues at centrefield in partnership with Shane McGrath, who has overcome last week’s injury scare and is fit to line out.
Tipperary are two points behind the weekend’s opponents and their final match is against Offaly. Both of the counties above them, however, Cork and Galway, meet on the last day.
Offaly, who face Waterford, show two changes to the side that nearly fell to a shock defeat against Limerick last week. Coming in for a first start of the campaign are James Dempsey in goal, instead of veteran Brian Mullins, and Stephen Wynne, who replaces Mullins’s Birr clubmate Dylan Hayden at centrefield.
Joe Dooley’s team are in the happy position of being safe after a first season back in the top flight having beaten both relegation rivals Dublin and Limerick, who will face each other in what will probably be a virtual demotion play-off on the last day of the regulation season.
Meanwhile, in Division Two, the Wexford team to play Laois in a vital match on Sunday shows two changes from the team which defeated Kildare last Sunday. Stephen Banville returns at full forward with Peter Atkinson switching to the corner. Paul Morris drops to the bench.
Keith Rossiter also returns to the corner-back position in place of Eoin Doyle with Willie Doran moving to centre forward in a swap with Harry Kehoe.
Having sensationally lost to Carlow a fortnight ago, Colm Bonnar’s side can’t afford any further slip-ups and need to win to overtake a Laois team going well to date under Niall Rigney.
Finally the two Ulster under-21 football semi-finals scheduled for last night were postponed due to the severe weather until tomorrow. Donegal-Derry (12.15) and Cavan-Monaghan (2.00) will now go ahead as a double-bill in Enniskillen.
TIPPERARY(NHL v Cork): B Cummins; P Stapleton, P Maher, P Curran; D Fanning, C O'Mahony, M Cahill; B Maher, S McGrath; N McGrath, L Corbett, G Ryan; E Kelly (capt.), T Hammersley, P Kelly.
CORK: M Coleman; S O'Neill, E Cadogan, B Murphy; J Gardiner, R Curran, S Ó hAilpín; T Kenny, L McLoughlin; T Murphy, J O'Connor, C Naughton; P O'Sullivan, A Ó hAilpín, P Horgan. Subs: D Cusack,C O'Sullivan, R Ryan, M Walsh, W Egan, M O'Sullivan, K Murphy, M Cussen, L O'Farrell.
OFFALY(NHL v Waterford): J Dempsey; M Verney, D Kenny, D Franks; J Rigney, P Cleary, D Morkan; R Hanniffy, S Wynne; B Carroll, D Molloy, D Currams; J Bergin, G Healion, S Dooley.
WEXFORD(SH v Laois): N Carton; P Roche, B Kenny, K Rossiter; R Kehoe, D Stamp, C Kenny; H Kehoe, C Farrell; A Shore, W Doran, D Lyng; R Jacob, S Banville, P Atkinson.
ROSCOMMON(U21 FC v Sligo): D O'Malley; J Sharkey, N Collins, M Higgins; J McKeague, N Daly, E Bannon; N Carty, K Higgins; P Garvey, C Shine, B Murtagh; N Kilroy, D Shine, D McDermott.
