Sport

Furlong makes championship debut for Wexford

ALL-IRELAND champions' Wexford have made four changes to the side that brought the McCarthy Cup home last September

By SEAN MORAN
Wed Jun 18 1997 - 01:00

ALL-IRELAND champions' Wexford have made four changes to the side that brought the McCarthy Cup home last September. George O'Connor has retired, his brother John is on the bench as are Rory McCarthy, recovering from injury, and Eamonn Scallan.

Into the team to play Offaly in Sunday's Leinster SHC semi-final at Croke Park come championship debutant Eugene Furlong from Glynn Barntown, who has been a regular in the left corner back position during the NHL, Sean Flood who had to miss last year's final because of injury and from last season's under-21s Mitch Jordan and Paul Codd. Larry O'Gorman moves to centre-field where he played frequently last year.

In the other semi-final, Dublin make two changes to the side that comfortably defeated Westmeath in the first round, for their tilt with Kilkenny. One is enforced and a grievous blow to the team: the expected loss of Liam Walsh to the half-back line. He is replaced by Sean Deignan who moves from corner back and is replaced there by Andy O'Callaghan.

At full forward, Colin Fetherstone comes back in after injury for Shane Dalton. On the half-forward line, Stephen Perkins and Brian McMahon swap positions with the latter moving to the left wind.

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Opponents Kilkenny delay selection because of injury worries. Among these is goalkeeper Joe Darmody for whose place Adrian Ronan, better known as a forward, stands by.

Meanwhile, Larry Tompkins and the Cork football selectors have made a number of changes to the team that disappointingly lost the NFL final to Kerry last month. Six changes in personnel and numerous positional switches feature in the selection for the county's first outing in this year's championship, next Sunday's Munster semi-final against Clare.

The entire half-back line of Michael O'Donoyan Niall Cahalane and Sean Og O hAilpin has been replaced. Cahalane is suffering from a slight injury and O hAilpin has only recently returned to training with the footballers after lining out in the county hurlers' defeat by Clare in the Munster semi-final 10 days, ago.

Into their places come Ciaran O'Sullivan and Brian Corcoran (also just back from hurling duty), switching from centrefield and centre forward respectively in the League final, and Padraig O'Mahony, one of the changes in personnel.

Among the others are Brian Murphy from Clonakilty who captains the team at right corner back and who missed the latter stages of the League due to injury but returns at the expense of Ronan McCarthy.

Another line of the team which has been altered completely is centrefield where Pat Hegarty and Fachtna Collins come into the side in place of O'Sullivan and Damien O'Neill whose knee ligament injury will keep him out of action for the rest of the season.

Into the forwards come the familiar faces of Joe Kavanagh, at right wing forward, and John O'Driscoll at full forward. Neither started the NFL final although Kavanagh came on a substitute for Colin Corkery.

Opponents Clare name two championship newcomers to the county colours: corner back Alan Malone and left wing back Aodan MacCarthaigh. They will name substitutes later in the wee#.

In the Ulster championship, Donegal's selectors bring in one debutant after the unconvincing win over Antrim in the first round, for Sunday's semi-final against Cavan who are managed by former Donegal star Martin McHugh. Peter McGinley is named at right corner back in a selection that, sees three of the All-Ireland winning team of five years ago, drop out.

Barry McGowan is injured but corner backs Matt Gallagher and John Cunningham are replaced by McGinley and veteran Martin Shovlin. John Ban Gallagher indirectly replaces McGowan with Noel Hegarty moving back to centre back.

Roscommon name an experienced side for the trip to Sligo on Sunday in the first of the Connacht semi-finals. One notable feature is the inclusion of Derek Duggan at centrefield rather than his more usual posting in the forwards.

Four Sligo players make their championship debuts in the same match. They are Mark Cosgrove. (Eastern Hearts) at right corner back, Philip Neary (Tubercurry) at left wing forward and Dessie Sloyan (Easkey) and Gerry McGowan (Tourlestrane) at right corner forward and left corner forward respectively.

Finally Down hurlers bring back Martin Bailie for his first championship outing since 1993. He is named at centre forward on the side to play Derry in Sunday's Ulster semi-final at Casement Park.