Clare go for old hands

HURLING: Clare manager Anthony Daly brings back the entire championship half back line for Sunday's National Hurling League match against Galway.

David Hoey returns for the first time since breaking his leg in the Munster first-round meeting with Tipperary last May, whereas Seán McMahon and Gerry Quinn are back after shorter absences.

In all, there are six changes from the team that beat Dublin, with Diarmuid McMahon, Ollie Baker and Brian Quinn also coming back into the team. Neither Brian Lohan nor Barry Murphy was considered because of injury.

Peter Barry is back in the Kilkenny team after an absence of five months. Having been abroad for much of that time, he comes in at centre back for the league game against Laois at Nowlan Park on Sunday, as the holders and All-Ireland champions try to secure their first points of the campaign.

Mark Phelan is a newcomer to the defence, having helped Kilkenny win the All-Ireland under-21 title last year.

Cork show three changes from the team which beat Wexford for the trip to Antrim. Mark Prendergast comes in at left corner back, Paul Tierney at centrefield and Kieran Murphy, from Sarsfields, at right corner forward.

The decision to strike out key motions from the agenda for the GAA Congress in Killarney came under attack at this week's Limerick County Board meeting. Jack Sheehan, former chairman of City Bord na nÓg, said they should be passing a vote of sympathy on the death of democracy.

KILKENNY (SH v Laois): J McGarry; M Phelan, N Hickey, M Kavanagh; J Ryall, P Barry, JJ Delaney; D Lyng, P Mullally; J Hoyne, H Shefflin, T Walsh; C Phelan, M Comerford, A Fogarty.

CLARE (SH v Galway): D Fitzgerald; B Quinn, B O'Connell, G O'Grady; D Hoey, S McMahon, G Quinn; O Baker, D McMahon; A Markham, C Lynch, T Griffin; N Gilligan, F Lohan, D Forde.

OFFALY (SH v Limerick): B Mullins; B Teehan, G Oakley, D Franks; N Claffey, J Brady, C Cassidy; B Murphy, M Cordial; B Carroll, R Hanniffy, N Coughlan; D Hayden, G Hannify, D Murray.

CORK (SH v Antrim): D Cusack; W Sherlock, D O'Sullivan, M Prendergast; G Callinan, R Curran, S Ó hAilpín; P Tierney, T Kenny; J O'Callaghan, M Byrne, S McGrath; K Murphy, B Lombard, E Fitzgerald.