CORK MANAGER Conor Counihan has announced just one change for Sunday’s Munster football semi-final against Clare, the team they beat in last year’s provincial final.
Former dual player Eoin Cadogan returns after missing out on the big quarter-final win over Limerick because of an Achilles tendon injury.
There is no place, however, in the declared lineout for All Star Aidan Walsh, who was also withdrawn from the team before the Limerick match with a dead leg.
Former All Star Paudie Kissane drops to the bench, where he will be joined by All-Ireland winning goalkeeper Alan Quirke, who is back on the panel, having been stationed with the Army in Lebanon during the National Football League campaign.
This means the six championship debutants started by Counihan the last day all get the nod again, including former Antrim defender James Loughrey, now resident in Cork and playing with Mallow, and under-21 forward Brian Hurley, who has been in fine form recently for his club, county champions Castlehaven, and scored 2-5 in the county championship against Nemo Rangers last week.
The health warning that increasingly comes with team announcements these days is that they frequently don’t take the field, so Walsh, who was expected to be fit for Sunday may yet make an appearance.
Clare won’t be announcing a team until this evening so there will be a further wait for Mick O’Dwyer’s first Munster championship selection in 24 years.
Likely to miss out is influential defender Enda Coughlan, who is recovering from a quad muscle injury.
One change
Meanwhile Connacht champions Mayo's manager, James Horan, has made just one change for Sunday's Connacht football semi-final against Roscommon to the team that annihilated Galway in the last round.
Richie Feeney comes in at centre forward for Cillian O’Connor, who dislocated his shoulder in a recent club match.
Feeney came in to the quarter-final in place of full forward Alan Freeman and kicked a point in the 4-16 to 0-11 win.
There is no apparent place in the starting 15 for Andy Moran, who has made such an encouraging comeback from the cruciate injury he sustained in last August’s All-Ireland quarter-final against Down.
The 2011 All Star was back in time to make an appearance in the Salthill win, bagging the team’s fourth goal, and has been in good form recently, adding a couple of goals in a challenge match against Cavan.
The game in Castlebar will be the first championship meeting between the counties since the provincial final of two years ago, won by Mayo, 0-13 to 0-11.
Mayo field nine of the team that started that match, whereas Roscommon will be starting eight of their players from that day. Among those missing, however, will be influential forward Donie Shine.
Elsewhere, Fermanagh manager Peter Canavan gives championship debuts to two players for the visit of Cavan to Brewster Park on Sunday. Goalkeeper Chris Snow and right wing back Damien McCusker come in for their first starts.
Few changes
In the Leinster hurling championship quarter-final replay tomorrow in Parnell Park, Dublin and Wexford are likely to show few changes from the drawn encounter in Wexford Park.
Having introduced a plethora of originally un-named players last week, Wexford manager Liam Dunne is expected to name more or less an unchanged team, with Paul Morris perhaps coming in. Dublin’s Anthony Daly is said to be considering starting the same 15.
Defending Galway hurlers will name their team for Sunday’s semi-final against Laois tonight. Manager Anthony Cunningham is expected to have a full pick, with David Collins the only slight injury concern.
