GAELIC GAMES: Diarmuid Marsden remains highly unlikely to feature in the opening game of Armagh's championship against Monaghan on Sunday.
Marsden is recovering from a broken finger which is still in plaster. The injury is symptomatic of the tough run of luck the player has had. After being sent off under dubious circumstances in last year's All-Ireland final, he had his suspension overturned at a hearing in front of the GAC. That decision made him available to play against Monaghan but natural forces now seem set to preclude his appearing.
Armagh manager Joe Kernan must also continue to plan without his influential centre forward, John McEntee, who remains on the long-term casualty list. He is due to name a team on tomorrow evening.
Nigel Crawford and Hank Traynor are the chief concerns in the Meath camp. The fitness of both men will be assessed before Seán Boylan finalises his side to play Wicklow on Sunday.
Meath have already been denied the services of Joe Sheridan, their impressive young forward, who is serving a four-week suspension after having his case - he felt he was wrongly identified for verbally abusing a referee - turned down by the appeals committee of the GAC.
Wicklow's Trevor Doyle will also sit out the match as he too is serving a suspension for a similar indiscretion.
Donal O'Sullivan and Philip Smith are to be assessed before John Kennedy names his Clare team to meet Kerry this evening. Both players have struggled with injuries of late.
The league and reigning Munster champions have reported a clean bill of health, with Darragh Ó Sé in contention for a return to the first team when it is announced later this week.
The GAC will meet on Thursday evening to rule on whether Westmeath used an incorrect number of substitutions in Sunday's comprehensive Leinster hurling championship victory over Kildare.
Morgan Lawlor, the Kildare manager, is convinced the victors used six reserve players during their 1-18 to 1-6 win. Kildare are lobbying for a replay. However, the Westmeath mentors are adamant they checked with the fourth official before making their changes and believe they acted correctly.
Finally, there has been speculation that veteran Dublin footballer Robbie Boyle has been invited to join Tommy Lyons's senior panel on a trial basis. The forward, who has been in eye-catching form for Erin's Isle, was a member of the All-Ireland winning panel of 1995 and played in the 1998 championship game against Kildare. Dublin played Cork in a senior challenge at the weekend but Boyle did not feature.
