Dooher back in Tyrone team for final

GAELIC GAMES NEWS:TYRONE'S ALL-IRELAND winning captain Brian Dooher will make his first start of the current championship in Sunday's Ulster football final against Antrim in Clones. The inclusion of Dooher is the only change to the side that comfortably dismissed the challenge of Derry in last month's semi-final.

The player to lose out is All Star centrefielder Enda McGinley, who is suffering from a hamstring injury but is named on the bench and may play some role in the match. Footballer of the Year Seán Cavanagh moves from full forward to his original position to replace McGinley.

Joe McMahon, who picked up a rib injury in the Derry semi-final, has recovered to resume at wing forward.

Tyrone have won the majority of their three All-Irelands this decade through the qualifier system and this is the first time that as defending champions they have reached an Ulster final.

Opponents Antrim have unsurprisingly named an unchanged team for the final. The side that beat Cavan was contesting the county’s first match in Clones since the final of 1970.

For Sunday’s Connacht final against Mayo, champions Galway make four changes to the team that delivered a late, late win over Sligo in the semi-final. Declan Meehan switches from wing back to corner forward in place of the injured Matthew Clancy with Gary Sice coming into the half backs.

Niall Coleman replaces the suspended Garry O’Donnell at centrefield and Nicky Joyce, back after being suspended from the panel last month, is selected in place of Cormac Bane.

Cork have made one change for tomorrow’s big All-Ireland hurling qualifier against Galway in Thurles. Tadhg Óg Murphy drops out of the full forwards and is replaced by Patrick Horgan.

There continue to be injury doubts about corner back Shane Murphy but he is listed on the team. None the less it is more than likely that his place will go to Conor O’Sullivan or Brian Murphy, the former All Star who returned to the panel two weeks ago after a break of a few months.

In the All-Ireland football qualifiers Kerry, who tomorrow face Sligo, make a number of changes to the team that tailed off last week when beating Longford. Veteran Mike McCarthy, an All-Ireland winner in 2000, ’04 and ’06, who came out of retirement last month, has been given the centre-back role on the team, which it had been speculated he would fill in last week’s qualifier against Longford.

Aidan O’Mahony also returns to the defence with Killian Young and Aidan O’Shea dropping out. In attack last year’s captain Paul Galvin returns after suspension and replaces Kieran Donaghy, who it was announced during the week will miss the next eight weeks.

SEÁN MORAN TYRONE (v Antrim):J Devine; PJ Quinn, Justin McMahon, R McMenamin; D Harte, C Gormley, P Jordan; K Hughes, S Cavanagh; B Dooher, T McGuigan, Joe McMahon, M Penrose, S O'Neill, O Mulligan. CORK (SH v Galway): D Cusack; S O'Neill, E Cadogan, S Murphy; J Gardiner, R Curran, S Ó hAilpín; T Kenny, J O'Connor; B O'Connor, P Cronin, T McCarthy; K Murphy, A Ó hAilpín, P Horgan. ANTRIM (v Tyrone): P Graham; C Brady, A McClean, K O'Boyle; T Scullion, J Crozier, J Loughrey; M McCann, A Gallagher; T O'Neill, K Brady, N McKeever; P Cunningham (capt.), S Burke, T McCann. WICKLOW (SF v Down): M Travers; C Hyland, D Ó hAnnaidh, S Kelly; P McWalter, B McGrath, D Hayden; J Stafford, T Walsh; L Glynn, T Hannon, JP Dalton; D Odlum, S Furlong, P Earls. DOWN (v Wicklow): B McVeigh; C McGovern, K McKernan, D Rafferty; T Hanna, P Murphy, C Garvey; D Gordon, S Kearney; A Rogers, C Maginn, B McArdle; B Coulter, PMcCumiskey, D Hughes. KERRY (v Sligo): D Murphy; M Ó Sé, T Griffin, T O'Sullivan; T Ó Sé, M McCarthy, A O'Mahony; D Ó Sé, S Scanlon; P Galvin, D O'Sullivan, D Walsh; C Cooper, T Walsh, S O'Sullivan. GALWAY (SFC v Mayo): A Faherty; N Coyne, F Hanley, D Burke; G Bradshaw, D Blake, G Sice; P Conroy, N Coleman; J Bergin, P Joyce, N Joyce; S Armstrong, M Meehan, D Meehan. WEXFORD (SF v Roscommon): A Masterson; B Malone, G Molloy, N Murphy; A Morrissey, D Murphy, C Morris (capt.); D Fogarty, E Bradley; S Roche, R Barry, A Flynn; C Lyng, S Cullen, PJ Banville.