Galway manager John O'Mahony has been to quick to deny reports that Michael Donnellan's season was in doubt after an injury sustained in a practice match at the weekend. It was suggested yesterday that Donnellan had broken an ankle playing in the A v B training match on Saturday.

"There's no bad news," O'Mahony said yesterday evening. "There never was any bad news. He turned on his ankle in the training game and was sent for an X-ray. By Saturday night he had been given the all clear.

"The reality is that he will be getting treatment this week, but he's not ruled out for Saturday let alone the rest of the season."

This will have come as a relief for O'Mahony as he sits down with his selectors to pick a team to play Roscommon in Pearse Stadium this weekend. Although Galway were easy winners against the same opposition last year, that performance represented the high point of their championship, and two years ago Roscommon surprised their neighbours and went on to win the Connacht title.

Interestingly, Donnellan had been playing at centre back during the match. The position could be a bit of a problem for Galway given the effective retirement of Tomás Mannion, who has pivoted the defence for the past two years. Donnellan has experience of the position with his club.

Given that he is still in training after his return from injury and has no match practice under his belt, the player would not have been an automatic starter for Sunday.

Diarmuid Blake - centre back on last year's All-Ireland under-21 winning team - is the only panellist definitely ruled out. He is carrying a long-term hamstring injury. O'Mahony hopes to name his team tomorrow night.

One manager with definite injury problems is Tipperary's Michael Doyle, who received the crushing news at the weekend that full back Philip Maher would be out for a year with a cruciate ligament injury. He has confirmed that Paul Curran, full back with Mullinahone, has rejoined the panel.

"Philip will be at least six months out - which is effectively a year in championship terms," said Doyle. "He's a terrible loss for us because it's such a specialised position. Paul Curran has come back. He's been studying for exams this year.

"We'll be waiting to see how the Eamonn Corcoran situation works out before picking a team."

Corcoran is to learn his fate from the Games Administration Committee tomorrow night. Sent off in the NHL match with Galway, he faces up to three months' suspension. Ironically, Corcoran, although a wing back, is the player in the panel with most experience of playing competitive intercounty at full back, where he was positioned during the 1999 league.

As soon as Corcoran's position is clarified the team will be picked for Sunday's Munster championship meeting with Clare.

Other names floated as potential replacements for Maher include utility player John Carroll, who although an All Star wing back and a brilliant minor centre back has no real experience of playing on the edge of the square. Carroll has been more frequently deployed in attack over the past couple of years.

John Devane replaced Maher in the recent NHL final, but the full back line was under great pressure and conceded four goals after the regular full back's departure. Centre back David Kennedy's name has also been mentioned, but he has been struggling to re-assert his claims to that position. Curran, a specialist on the square, is very short of match practice.

Better news for Doyle is that Paul Ormonde's comeback from injury continues. "He'll probably be right for mid-June," said the manager. "You have to applaud the younger fellas who came up trumps for us in the league."

Another key performer who looks like he will miss his county's championship opener is Meath forward Ollie Murphy who damaged a shoulder in a club match at the weekend. He is unlikely to be fit for the Leinster first round against Westmeath in a couple of weeks.

County senior player Pat Kirby is included at left corner forward on the Limerick team to play Tipperary in the semi-final of the Munster minor hurling championship in Thurles tomorrow.

LIMERICK:

N Fitzgerald; N Morrissey, H Foster, S Walsh, D Moloney, O Benson, D Breen; J Hargrow, P Russell; P McNamara, O O'Leary, P Cregan, R Ryan, S Ryan, P Kirby.