SLIGO have named an unchanged side from that which beat Mayo ahead of Sunday’s Connacht football semi-final against Galway at Pearse Stadium.
Joe Kernan’s first major outing as Galway manager has been hampered, however, by the loss of Nicky Joyce to a knee injury, while captain Michael Meehan can only make the bench.
Meehan sustained medial knee damage in the National League fixture against Kerry last March and has not played any football since.
Dublin manager Pat Gilroy will this morning announce the line-up to face Meath in the Leinster semi-final at Croke Park on Sunday.
The Dublin management confirmed that Rory O’Carroll received permission to play for the under-21 hurlers in Wednesday night’s Leinster semi-final victory over Kilkenny in Nowlan Park.
The Dublin under-21s avenged a 19-point loss by their senior counterparts to Kilkenny, last Sunday, with a convincing 0-18 to 0-12 win to set up a provincial final against Wexford.
Initially listed as a substitute, O’Carroll played a crucial role from centre back despite being almost certain to feature at fullback in Sunday’s Leinster football semi-final against Meath at Croke Park.
Elder brother Ross O’Carroll is also on Pat Gilroy’s football panel but is currently recovering from injury.
Meath manager Eamonn O’Brien also held off selecting a team for Sunday with serious concerns surrounding veteran defender Anthony Moyles (hamstring) and midfielder Mark Ward.
O’Brien is already planning without centre back Mickey Burke for the season after he suffered a double leg break in last week’s replay victory over Laois.
Team captain Nigel Crawford, another midfield option, is trying to shake off a back complaint, while goalkeeper Paddy O’Rourke is suspended, although the capable Brendan Murphy deputises.
The Fermanagh and Monaghan sides for the Ulster football semi-final on Sunday will be confirmed after training tonight.
Peter Sherry is expected to return for Fermanagh but Shane Goan is unavailable.
In hurling news, Galway manager John McIntyre has also delayed naming a team for the Leinster semi-final replay against Offaly in Portlaoise (7pm) tomorrow, with Joe Canning and Damien Hayes potentially joining Aidan Harte on the absentee list.
Canning has not, as initially feared, sustained a fractured hand but it is badly bruised. Hayes is battling a knee injury. Ollie Canning and David Burke are further concerns but Andy Smith is available following his suspension.
Offaly’s Derek Molloy is out with a sprained ankle that forced his withdrawal from the last Sunday’s drawn fixture at the interval.
Molloy’s replacement Daniel Currams was red-carded in the fixture for a mistimed shoulder charge. Currams received an automatic four-week ban but has requested a hearing with the central hearings committee that takes place this evening. Kevin Brady is due to come in should Currams’s hearing prove unsuccessful.
The Wexford team to play London in the first round of the football qualifiers at Ruislip is unchanged from the team which played Dublin but shows a couple of positional switches.
Redmond Barry moves to wing forward with Shane Roche now playing at full forward. Matty Forde retains his position at centre forward.
There are four changes to the Offaly team which started the Leinster championship tie versus Meath. Out go John Coughlan (suspended); Shane Sullivan (broken broke in his hand)), Ciaran Kiely (who is currently in the USA) and Sean Ryan.
Replacing them are Brian Darby (Rhode), Ross Brady (22, from Clara), Brian Geraghty (19, from Durrow) and Anton Sullivan (18, from Rhode). Darby missed the Meath game due to injury, while Brady, Geraghty and Anton Sullivan were all introduced as substitutes against Meath.
WEXFORD (SF v London): A Masterson; J Wadding, G Molloy, B Malone; A Flynn, D Murphy, A Doyle; D Waters, E Bradley; C Morris, M Forde, R Barry; C Lyng, S Roche, PJ Banville.
SLIGO (SFC v Galway): P Greene; C Harrison, N McGuire, R Donovan; K Cawley, B Phillips, J Davey; T Taylor, S Gilmartin; A Costello, M Breheny, K Sweeney; C McGee, E O’Hara, D Kelly.
GALWAY (SFC v Sligo): A Faherty; K Fitzgerald, F Hanley, A Burke; G Bradshaw, D Blake, G ODonnell; P Conroy, N Coleman; G Sice, S Armstrong, J Bergin; E Concannon, P Joyce, M Clancy.
OFFALY (SF v Clare):
A Mulhall; B Darby, S Brady, P Sullivan; N Darby, R Brady, K Slattery; B Geraghty, R Dalton; J Reynolds, B Connor, C McManus; A Sullivan, K Casey, N McNamee.
