Phoenix awaits hurling All Stars

The GAA and Vodafone have announced that the venue for the 2004 All Stars tour will be Phoenix, Arizona. Both the 2002 and 2003 hurling All Stars will travel and play an exhibition game in Phoenix in the last week of January.

This is the fourth tour since the concept was revived. The footballers visited Dubai in 2000 and San Diego this year, while the hurlers travelled to Argentina in 2001.

The venue was approved by the Management Committee of the GAA last weekend after receiving an invitation and detailed submission by Phoenix Gaels GAA Club.

It will be the first time that an official tour has visited the state of Arizona.

The GAA's fixture list for the weekend will not be available until today. A number of waterlogged pitches made the customary Tuesday circulation of fixtures for what will be a busy weekend impossible.

There will be a series of both NFL and NHL matches this weekend. Already confirmed is a double bill featuring Dublin footballers and hurlers at Parnell Park on Sunday.

The hurlers open the afternoon against Clare to be followed by the footballers taking on Cork.

Meanwhile, concerns over a neck injury suffered by Tyrone midfielder Kevin Hughes during Sunday's National League clash with Donegal have eased.

Hughes was taken to hospital after being stretchered off early in the second half following a collision with Kevin Cassidy. Tests showed that the injury is not as serious as initially feared.

Tipperary have made five changes for their NHL game against Limerick in Thurles on Saturday. Into the team come Martin Maher, Aidan Butler, Owen Brislane, Conor Gleeson, Ger O'Grady.

They replace Tom Costello, David Kennedy, Michael Ryan, John Carroll and John O'Brien.

Kerry make five changes to the team that beat Dublin in Killarney last Sunday for the coming weekend's league match against bottom-of-the-table Donegal.

Eamonn Fitzmaurice returns to the team at wing back, indirectly replacing Tom O'Sullivan.

Marc Ó Sé gives way to Mossy Lyons at left corner back. In attack, Liam Hassett starts at right wing forward in place of Seán O'Sullivan.

On the other wing, Paul Galvin replaces Donncha Walsh and, in the full-forward line, Ronan O'Connor indirectly replaces Dara Ó Cinnéide with Declan O'Sullivan at full forward.

TIPPERARY (SH v Limerick): B Cummins; M Maher, P Maher, J Devane; E Corcoran, A Butler, B Dunne; T Dunne, E Brislane; M O'Leary, C Gleeson, B O'Meara; E Kelly, G O'Grady, L Corbett.

KERRY (SF V Donegal): D Murphy; T Ó Sé, M McCarthy, M Lyons; E Fitzmaurice, S Moynihan, J Sheehan; D Ó Sé, D Daly; L Hassett, E Brosnan, P Galvin; D Quill, D O'Sullivan, R O'Connor.

KERRY (SH v Carlow): J Healy; P McCarthy,M Lucid, C Flaherty; J McCarthy (capt), A Cronin, W J Leen; B Ó'Sullivan, P O'Connell; B Brick, S Brick, D Young; M Slattery, M Conway, J M Dooley.