Sport

Blow to Kerry as O'Sullivan ruled out

GAA:  Kerry have lost the services of their most influential forward, Declan O'Sullivan, nine days before their Munster football…

Fri Jul 02 2004 - 01:00

GAA: Kerry have lost the services of their most influential forward, Declan O'Sullivan, nine days before their Munster football final against Limerick writes Ian O'Riordan

It's a significant setback to Kerry's chances of defending their title and offers further hope for Limerick in the quest to win their first senior provincial football title since 1896.

O'Sullivan dislocated a collarbone in training on Wednesday evening. After a routine tackle the Dromid Pearses player went down, and an X-ray confirmed the damage, which will require at last four weeks' recuperation.

"We'll just have to see how it responds in the short term," said manager Jack O'Connor. "But he will not play against Limerick. It's tough on the player himself because over the league I suppose himself and Séamus Moynihan were our two most consistent performers. Declan has played in virtually every game and he is going to be a big loss.

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"But that is what panels are for and we have to move on and try and pick it up and it will be up to the other players to lift their games . There is a lot of competition at the moment among the forwards and that is reflected in the nature of the football that we are playing inside in training."

O'Sullivan had been operating at centre forward, and while he didn't score in the semi-final win over Cork, he was creating most of the chances. There are several likely replacements - including team captain Dara Ó Cinnéide.

His injury follows last week's news that Moynihan was also a serious doubt for the Limerick game after sustaining ankle-ligament damage. That setback has been diminishing in recent days with Moynihan returning to gentle running, and he could yet recover in time. Mike McCarthy is also carrying a ligament injury.

Meanwhile, this weekend's round two of the All-Ireland football qualifiers has seen several managers alter their starting line-ups. Seán Boylan has moved Trevor Giles to left-half back for tomorrow's meeting with Fermanagh in Enniskillen, while Shane McKeigue returns to the team at full forward.

Giles appeared at half back in a challenge against Cork last Sunday but has never made a championship start for Meath in the defence, though he started his career as a half back.

Evan Kelly moves out to the half-forward line to replace Giles, with Séamus Kenny moving to the opposite side of the half-forward line. There is no starting place for Ollie Murphy or Graham Geraghty.

Cork, as expected, will start forwards Colin Corkery and Brendan Jer O'Sullivan and midfielder Nicholas Murphy for their meeting with Clare at Cusack Park. Corkery and O'Sullivan missed the Munster semi-final defeat to Kerry because of suspension.

Elsewhere, Louth captain Ollie McDonnell has been passed fit to start their qualifier against Galway. JP Rooney returns to the starting line-up, while Alan Page is given a start in defence, as is Raymond Finnegan in the attack.

Leitrim manager Declan Rowley makes five changes for the clash with Dublin at Carrick-on-Shannon - including the introduction of Pádraig Flynn at centre back.

Pascal McConnell has been called up to replace Tyrone goalkeeper John Devine for the football qualifiers clash with Down at Newry. Kevin Hughes, who started at full forward against Donegal, resumes his midfield partnership with Seán Cavanagh, with Gerard Cavlan taking over at left-half forward and Stephen O'Neill going to the corner, from where Owen Mulligan moves to full forward.

Peter Canavan, who picked up a back injury almost three weeks ago, has failed even to make the bench, but Gavin Devlin has recovered from a shoulder injury to take his place among the subs.

In hurling, Waterford expect to learn today details of the foul that prematurely ended John Mullane's Munster final last Sunday. If reported for a strike Mullane will be out for 12 weeks, ending his interest in the championship.

Finally, tickets for Sunday's Leinster hurling final between Wexford and Offaly will be on sale from the ticket office at the rear of the Cusack Stand from 11 am to 7 pm today and from 11 am to 4 pm tomorrow. Some tickets for the Ulster football final between Armagh and Donegal on July 11th will also be on sale.

MEATH (SF v Fermanagh): D Gallagher; N McKeigue, D Fay, M O'Reilly; P Reynolds, T O'Connor, T Giles; N Crawford, A Moyles; E Kelly, C McCarthy, S Kenny; D Regan, S McKeigue, J Sheridan.

CORK (SF v Clare): K O'Dwyer; S O'Brien, D Kavanagh, G Murphy; E Sexton, G Canty, M Cronin; D Hurley, N Murphy; A Cronin, M Ó Croinín, C McCarthy; C Crowley, C Corkery, BJ O'Sullivan.

LOUTH (SF v Galway): S McCoy; A Page, P Mallon, J Carr; D Shevlin, S Gerard, R Rooney; D Devaney, P Keenan; N McDonnell, O McDonnell, R Finnegan; A Hoey, M Stanfield, JP Rooney.

LEITRIM (SF v Dublin): G Phelan; D Reynolds, S Quinn, M McGuinness; N Gilbane, P Flynn, C Regan; N Doonan, C Carroll; J Gantley, J Guckian, B Prior; J McGuinness, P Farrell, M Foley.

TYRONE (SF v Down): P McConnell; R McMenamin, C Gormley, C Gourley; J McMahon, S Sweeney, P Jordan; K Hughes, S Cavanagh; B Dooher, B McGuigan, G Cavlan; M Harte, O Mulligan, S O'Neill.