Veteran hurler Joe Cooney is recalled along with Joe Rabbitte to the Galway team for the Connacht hurling final against Roscommon tomorrow. The much-decorated Cooney played his last championship match for the county two years ago in the All-Ireland quarter-final defeat by Kilkenny.

Rabbitte opted out of county training during the divisional stages of the National League and missed the team's defeat by Tipperary in the final. With Cooney and Justin Campbell, who is named amongst the substitutes, he returned to the panel last month.

Manager Matt Murphy and his selectors also bring in two championship debutants. Goalkeeper Damien Howe gets his first summer start along with Fergus Flynn, who transferred from Clare at the beginning of the season.

Ollie Canning is making his first full appearance in a championship match although he came on a substitute in the All-Ireland semi-final against Wexford three years ago.

Cooney is named at midfield with Flynn, and Rabbitte lines out at centre forward.

The team shows four changes from the side which lost to Tipperary. Vinnie Maher, who was injured in the later stages of the league, returns at left corner back in place of Peter Huban. Rabbitte replaces Liam Burke, who had to drop off the team because of a chronic back complaint.

Cooney is in for Tom Kavanagh and Canning replaces Mark Kerins, whose prospects for re-appearing this season "don't look good" according to manager Murphy. Kerins is awaiting a prognosis on damage done to his cruciate ligament.

Apart from the recalls which were in any case expected, the most significant alteration sees Cathal Moore switched from centre forward to centre back - positions between which he seems fated to wander. This displaces Flynn, who moves to midfield.

"We decided we had to look at the midfield diamond," says Murphy. "In the league final we were in trouble in that area and we had to address that."

He was happy with the condition of the players recalled to the panel. "We haven't done a lot of collective training because the players have been with their clubs in the county championship since the league ended. But they have been playing a very competitive club championship, even last Sunday."

Although this match against Roscommon is a forgone conclusion, Murphy says that his team have to be careful - and takes the opportunity to get in a dig at the reformed championship system. "We've got to take this seriously. We don't have a back-door - only a trapdoor. I can't understand a system letting back in strong counties and crucifying weak ones.

"If they want to do more than pay lip-service to the game and if they want to seriously promote it, there has to be a round-robin system. Take the best 16 teams and divide them into four groups of four so that everyone can at least three games. Everyone would then be on a level pitch.

"The games would be played in a five-week period and the top two in each group would go on to the All-Ireland quarter-finals and then teams wouldn't be depending on the luck of the draw."

Meanwhile, Down football captain James McCartan has had to drop out of Sunday's Ulster semi-final against Tyrone. A disc problem in his back has left the double All-Ireland medallist bed-ridden until next week and he will not even be able to attend the match in Casement Park.

Over the last couple of months McCartan had been troubled by an on-and-off stiffness in the back and he was getting a lot of rubs and physio. He trained Sunday morning and complained of a stiffness afterwards. On Monday morning he awoke in agony and couldn't move.

He had a scan which showed damage to one of his discs and seven to 10 days rest in bed was immediately ordered. After this he'll be assessed to see whether the injury has settled. His replacement will be one of Gregory Deegan, Ross Carr and Aidan Farrell.

Finally, the Leinster Council met on Wednesday night to consider the idea of a round-robin format for the province's football and hurling championships. No decision will be taken until the autumn but a number of ideas were discussed.

The format envisaged by motion 13 on this year's Congress clar, was a round-robin for the four teams in the preliminary section.

There has been some dispute over who should make up this quartet. For the last two years the counties in the preliminary pool have been Carlow, Longford, Wexford and Westmeath, who have qualified for the first round each time.

Now Wicklow and Louth are said to be interested in joining the section but Westmeath argue that it was they who piloted the motion through Congress. Already Carlow, Longford and Wexford have been accepted as three of the four teams. The fourth county has yet to be decided.

GALWAY (SH v Roscommon): D Howe; L Hodgins, B Feeney, V Maher; N Shaughnessy, C Moore, P Hardiman; F Flynn, J Cooney; O Canning, J Rabbitte, A Kerins; K Broderick, O Fahy, E Cloonan. Subs: M Cremins, P Huban, P Walsh, J Campbell, F Healy, R Walsh, M Donoghue, F Forde, M Healy, B Carr.

TYRONE (MF v Down): P Ward; K McCaughey, M Anderson, P O'Farrell; G Quinn F Donnelly, N Quinn; K Hughes, R Meenan; C Carland, E McGinley, E O'Hanlon; M McGarrity, E Mulligan, P McGavigan.