Limerick hurling manager John Kiely has made one change to the team for Sunday’s Munster final against Waterford in Thurles. David Reidy comes in in place of Darragh O’Donovan with Kyle Hayes named at wing back where he surprisingly started the semi-final win over Tipperary.
Reidy is listed at centre forward and Cian Lynch reverts to centrefield. There is heartening news in the selection on the bench of 2018 All Star Richie English, who has made his way back from a cruciate injury.
Opponents Waterford are unchanged from their semi-final win over Cork. There is greater tactical clarity in the naming of Kevin Moran at wing back and Austin Gleeson in attack where he is listed at full forward.
It is Waterford’s first Munster final since 2016.
Meanwhile Kilkenny manager Brian Cody underlined his unhappiness at the near fatal loss of a 16-point lead to Dublin in the semi-finals when naming his team for Saturday evening’s Leinster final against Galway in Croke Park. Four players have been replaced and the team has a more solid, physical look.
Tullaroan’s Tommy Walsh is picked at left corner back in place of Ciaran Wallace who debuted in the semi-final.
Both Paddy Deegan and Richie Reid drop out of the half-back line with Cillian Buckley and Conor Fogarty, the last day’s starting centrefield, taking their places and Conor Browne and Richie Leahy coming into the middle.
Up front Billy Ryan makes way for Martin Keoghan, as Kilkenny go after both a first win over Galway and a first Leinster title in four years.
In the big All-Ireland hurling qualifier in Limerick on Saturday, Tipperary make three changes to the team that lost the Munster semi-final. Patrick Maher is back after missing more than a year between the cruciate injury that kept him out of Tipp’s All-Ireland win last year and the pandemic.
He, Michael Breen and Dan McCormack come in, replacing Barry Heffernan, Conor O’Brien and Mark Kehoe.
Opponents Cork are unchanged and have good news in the inclusion on the bench of Darragh Fitzgibbon, who picked up a hamstring injury last month but is now recovered.
Mark Moran of Westport makes his first start for Mayo in Sunday’s Connacht football final against Galway. In the only announced change to the team that dethroned provincial champions Roscommon, Moran replaces Ryan O’Donoghue at centre forward.
Galway manager Pádraic Joyce names four debutants on his selection and one further change. Full back Seán Mulkerrin, centrefielder Cein D’Arcy, wing forward and corner forward Paul Kelly and Dessie Conneely start their first championship. Team captain Shane Walsh also returns but another top forward Damien Comer is still out with injury. Galway have yet to play in this year’s championship, having received a walkover from Covid-affected Sligo whereas Mayo are playing a fifth match in successive weeks.
Kieran McGeeney has named the Armagh team to face Donegal in the Ulster semi-final at Kingspan Breffni on Saturday afternoon with Callum Cumiskey and Niall Grimley named to start as they were against Derry before being replaced by Greg McCabe and Jarlath Óg Burns who aren’t named this weekend either.
Jack O’Connor’s Kildare team for Saturday’s Leinster semi-final with Meath shows one change from the side that started last weekend’s quarter-final success over Offaly. Matty Byrne comes in for the experienced Fergal Conway.
Down are unchanged for their semi-final against Cavan on Sunday in Armagh.
LIMERICK (SHC v Waterford): Nicky Quaid; Seán Finn, Dan Morrissey, Barry Nash; Diarmaid Byrnes, Declan Hannon, Kyle Hayes; Cian Lynch, Will O'Donoghue; Gearóid Hegarty, David Reidy. Tom Morrissey; Graeme Mulcahy, Aaron Gillane, Peter Casey. Subs: Barry Hennessy, Jerome Boylan, Adrian Breen, Ronan Connolly, David Demspey, Richie English, Séamus Flanagan, Robbie Hanley
WATERFORD (SHC v Limerick): Stephen O'Keeffe; Shane Fives, Conor Prunty (capt.), Shane McNulty; Calum Lyons, Tadhg De Burca, Kevin Moran; Jamie Barron, Jake Dillon; Jack Fagan, Kieran Bennett, Stephen Bennett; Dessie Hutchinson, Austin Gleeson, Jack Prendergast. Subs: Billy Nolan, Ian Kenny, Mark O'Brien, Mikey Kearney, Patrick Curran, Billy Power, Ciaran Kirwan, Darragh Lyons, Neil Montgomery, Iarlaith Daly, Kieran Power.
TIPPERARY (SHQ v Cork): Brian Hogan; Cathal Barrett, Ronan Maher, Alan Flynn; Niall O'Meara, Brendan Maher, Pádraic Maher; Noel McGrath, Michael Breen; Dan McCormack, John McGrath, Patrick Maher, Jason Forde, Séamus Callanan (capt.), Jake Morris.
CORK (SHQ v Tipperary): Antony Nash; Damien Cahalane, Colm Spillane, Seán O'Donoghue; Tim O'Mahony, Robert Downey, Mark Coleman; Bill Cooper, Luke Meade; Séamus Harnedy, Shane Kingston, Robbie O'Flynn; Joe O'Connor, Declan Dalton, Patrick Horgan. Subs: Patrick Collins, Stephen McDonnell, Niall O'Leary, Seán O'Leary-Hayes, Chris Joyce, Billy Hennessy, Darragh Fitzgibbon, Conor Lehane, Aidan Walsh, Daire Connery, Conor Cahalane.
KILKENNY (SHC v Galway): Eoin Murphy; Conor Delaney, Huw Lawlor, Tommy Walsh; Cillian Buckley, Padraig Walsh, Conor Fogarty; Richie Leahy, Conor Browne; John Donnelly, Martin Keoghan, Walter Walsh; TJ Reid, Eoin Cody, Colin Fennelly. Subs: Darren Brennan, Paul Murphy, Joey Holden, Ciarán Wallace, Darren Mullen, Alan Murphy, Richie Reid, Richie Hogan, Ger Aylward, Liam Blanchfield, Niall Brassil
GALWAY (Connacht SFC v Mayo): Bernard Power; Seán Kelly, Seán Mulkerrin, Johnny Heaney; Liam Silke, Johnny Duane, Cillian McDaid; Cein D'Arcy, Tom Flynn; Paul Kelly, Paul Conroy, Michael Daly; Ian Burke, Shane Walsh, Dessie Conneely.
MAYO (SFC v Galway): David Clarke, Oisín Mullin, Chris Barrett, Lee Keegan, Patrick Durcan, Stephen Coen, Eoghan McLaughlin, Conor Loftus, Matthew Ruane, Kevin McLoughlin, Mark Moran, Diarmuid O'Connor, Tommy Conroy, Aidan O'Shea, Cillian O'Connor
ARMAGH (SFC v Donegal): Blaine Hughes; Paddy Burns, Ryan Kennedy, James Morgan; Conor O'Neill, Aidan Forker, Mark Shields; Oisín O'Neill, Stephen Sheridan; Rory Grugan, Callum Cumiskey, Stefan Campbell; Jamie Clarke, Rian O'Neill, Niall Grimley.
KILDARE (SFC v Meath): Mark Donnellan; Mark Dempsey, Shea Ryan, Darragh Malone; David Hyland, Con Kavanagh, Kevin Flynn; Kevin Feely, Aaron Masterson; Matty Byrne, Ben McCormack, Paddy Brophy; Daniel Flynn, Darragh Kirwan, Jimmy Hyland.
DOWN (SFC v Cavan): Rory Burns; Peter Fegan, Patrick Murdock, Pierce Laverty; Gerard Collins, Kevin McKernan, Daniel Guinness; Caolan Mooney, Johnny Flynn; Conor Poland, Paul Devlin, Barry O'Hagan; Jerome Johnston, Donal O'Hare, Ceilum Doherty.
