The return of DJ Carey gives Kilkenny a major lift for their eagerly-awaited Leinster hurling championship semi-final with Offaly at Croke Park on Sunday. Carey passed a fitness test at training last night and was named in his familiar full forward position.

There was considerable fear that the ankle ligament injury suffered two weeks ago would force Carey out of the starting line-up. That injury came on the back on a rib injury suffered in the closing stages of the league, and there was genuine reason to suspect Carey would not make the starting line-up.

After intensive daily treatment over the past week, however, Carey trained with the panel for on Monday night for the first time in a fortnight and manager Brian Cody was confident enough last night to give him a starting place.

There will be one championship debutant in the team as corner back JJ Delaney gets the call just weeks after joining the panel. The 19-year-old from Johnstown showed some sparkling form for Waterford IT during the Fitzgibbon Cup, and was part of the redesigned panel when Willie O'Connor failed to return to training earlier this month.

The rest of the team has a familiar look. The entire halfback line is the same that beat Offaly 5-15 to 1-14 in the All-Ireland final last year, although Canice Brennan - who missed all of 1999 - is named at midfield.

Joining Denis Byrne and John Power in the half-forward line is John Hoyne, while, in the inside line, Carey is flanked Charlie Carter and Henry Shefflin. That means just two changes in total from last year's Liam McCarthy winning side - O'Connor and Brian McEvoy are the two absentees.

Meanwhile, Peter McKenna has been appointed the stadium director of Croke Park Limited. Working as part of the recently established executive committee, McKenna will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the stadium as well as the implementation of new policy.

McKenna joins Croke Park from the Jefferson Smurfit Group, where for the past 10 years he was chief executive of Smurfit Communications. He was involved in the launch of Smurfit's media initiative iVenus. Commenting on the appointment, GAA president Sean McCague emphasised McKenna's experience: "We have full confidence that he will make a huge contribution to the future development of Croke Park," he said.

Croke Park has also announced that admission to the covered stand at Casement Park on Saturday for the All-Ireland football qualifier double-bill will be by ticket only. Tickets are being distributed to clubs in the participating counties.

The Antrim versus Leitrim game starts at 4.15 p.m., followed by the Armagh Down game (live on RTE) at 6.15 p.m. Pat McEnaney of Monaghan replaces Brian White of Wexford as referee for the second game.