PETER WITHNELL turned up at the Down training session with two broken fingers last Monday night. Nonetheless team manager Peter McGrath was agreeably surprised to note the return of the "prodigal son and said" Peter could provide a useful attacking option later on should we beat Donegal on Sunday week of course".
Withnell had opted out of the panel to concentrate on soccer during the winter. He was in the All Ireland winning side of 1991 against Meath and a substitute in 1994 when Down beat Dublin.
McGrath is concerned about a knee injury sustained by Ross Carr recently in a club match. "Ross is very doubtful for the Donegal game at this stage," says the Down manager who will name his team on Monday.
Galway manager Bosco McDermott is hoping that his casualty list will show improvement before his team's opening title defence, away to Sligo, in the Connacht senior football championship on Sunday week.
With Val Daly and Tomas Mannion already ruled out for this game, Damien Mitchell, Ray Silke and Kevin Walsh are also doubtful.
Kilkenny's hurling boss Nick Brennan cannot be sure of the fitness of DJ Carey (torn hamstring) or Denis Byrne (broken finger) for the June 2nd Leinster senior hurling championship clash with Wexford in Croke Park.
Already out of contention for this tie to be televised live is wing forward Paddy Farrell, who is awaiting a cruciate ligament operation. Wexford defender John O'Connor has a broken bone in a hand and cannot be too confident of figuring on June 2nd.
Sunday will see quite a festival of sport to mark the official opening of the £1 million redevelopment of Nowlan Park (capacity 25,000). Kilkenny play Tipperary in Senior hurling and Dublin meet Cork in Senior football. There will also be a junior football game between Kilkenny and Mayo. Nowlan Park's old stand is to be named after Ollie Walsh, the new stand after Paddy Grace and the administration block after Ted Carroll.
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