AIB League leaders Lansdowne are the hardest hit by injuries incurred in representative games over the weekend leaving them with an untimely casualty list going into their bi-weekly resumption of league duties. Nor would they have picked an imposing trip to Young Munster as the ideal scenario to be without Gordon D'Arcy, Reggie Corrigan, Kurt McQuilkin and Marcus Dillon.
However, that is the reality with which Michael Cosgrave is faced. The Lansdowne coach said that their representative quartet will all be sidelined this Saturday. D'Arcy and Corrigan sustained hamstring and knee injuries in the Irish A defeat to their Welsh counterparts in Ebbw Vale last Friday and both may be out of action for three weeks, thereby also ruling them out of Ireland's next `A' encounter against the English. The enforced break may be a blessing in disguise for D'Arcy, but it is another unfortunate interruption to Corrigan's already disrupted season.
On top of that double whammy, Lansdowne will be without influential captain McQuilkin. He is in New Zealand until Sunday for his sister's wedding. Marcus Dillon, who departed with a hamstring strain in the win over Garryowen two Saturdays ago, will also be sidelined for another fortnight.
Cosgrave will therefore be obliged to scour the depths of his squad and utilise their versatility, with Rory Kearns likely to switch to full-back while Niall Gunne, Brian Glennon, the centre Dave O'Mahony and Mick Kearns all come into the three-quarter equation. Enda Bohan is the likely replacement for Corrigan. Peter Boland chipped a bone in training and is doubtful for the home side, who may though, have Kiwi winger Richard Larkin back.
Elsewhere, Ballymena hope to have Tony McWhirter, Mark Blair, Derek Topping and Stephen Ritchie back to buttress their pack when they seek to arrest a run of two successive defeats in a significant play-off four-pointer at home to Garryowen. Against that, Jan Cunningham, James Topping and Stanley McDowell may be ruled out again. John Hall's team expect Paul Cunningham to return.
Another game which falls into the same category is the Temple Hill meeting of Cork Constitution and St Mary's, for which the latter will again be without the suspended Trevor Brennan. They will check later in the week on their outside three of John McWeeney, Kevin Nowlan and Dennis Hickie.
Blackrock seek to stop the Buccaneers juggernaut at Stradbrook and Kevin West has stuck with the reshuffled side which ended their losing run at home to Young Munster, save for one exception: the return of Alan McGowan at out-half. Buccaneers' Donal Rigney is still suspended while a shoulder injury to Russell Southam could open the door for David Beggy, Alan Connolly or Tom Stuart-Trainor.
Shannon anticipate Eddie Halvey being fit after his back injury ruled him out of Ireland's A squad although original centres Rhys Ellison and Paul McMahon will still be unavailable for the trip to Clontarf. Galwegians will probably be unchanged for the trip to Terenure, whose plans, as ever, probably won't be known until kick-off.
Blackrck College: T Keating; B Carey, M Roche, D Quinlan, D Johnson; A McGowan, N Assaf; T Stapleton, S Byrne, P Jordan, H Kos, R Casey, R Wheeler, L Cullen, R Rogers.
Queen's (v Midleton): P Archbold; N Beggs, J McKeown, C Lockhart, A Kirkpatrick; J Patton, D Spence; C Millar, T Trainor, S Shawe, A Jackson, P Mulholland, C McBride, J Goodrich, A Boyd (capt).
