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O'Meara comes from nowhere to claim starting spot

ALL-IRELAND FINALISTS Tipp introduce two debutants for Sunday’s first defence of their Munster title against Cork in Páirc Uí…

SEÁN MORAN GAA Correspondent
Fri May 28 2010 - 01:00

ALL-IRELAND FINALISTS Tipp introduce two debutants for Sunday’s first defence of their Munster title against Cork in Páirc Uí­ Chaoimh. Full forward Brian O’Meara from Kilruane McDonaghs and wing back Michael Cahill of Thurles Sarsfields come into an experienced side in which injury concern Lar Corbett starts at left corner forward.

O’Meara has come from nowhere to claim a place in the championship team, not having played during the NHL, although he featured strongly in the Fitzgibbon Cup for the Waterford IT team that reached this year’s final and also appeared for the Tipperary under-21s on their recent run to a Munster title.

A strong, imposing player, good under high ball, he has greatly impressed in Tipperary’s challenge matches since the conclusion of the league.

Cahill, on the other hand, has been a regular with the team during the league season and his call-up is not greatly surprising. At centrefield, Brendan Maher makes his first start in the Munster championship although he lined out in both the All-Ireland semi-final and final last year and came on as a replacement in all of Tipp’s provincial matches last season.

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Both O’Meara and Cahill are the only changes from the team that narrowly lost last year’s epic All-Ireland final to Kilkenny.

The players missing out are injury victims James Woodlock, who is a long-term absentee after sustaining a bad leg break at the end of last year, and Pat Kerwick, who is currently recovering from a groin strain.

NHL Division One winners Galway have named their team for tomorrow’s Leinster first round against Wexford in Kilkenny. John McIntyre and his selectors bring in three championship debutants, wing back Donal Barry, centrefielder David Burke and corner forward Aidan Harte, all of whom appeared in the league final win over Cork earlier this month.

Joe Gantley will also start his first senior championship game, coming in as the only change to the side that beat Cork and replacing Iarla Tannian at corner forward. Centre back Tony Regan and wing back David Collins will be starting their first senior championship matches since the All-Ireland quarter-final defeat to Kilkenny in 2007.

Wexford manager Colm Bonner names two newcomers for the match.

Noel Carton from Cloughbawn follows in amongst the most famous footsteps in recent hurling by taking over in goal from Damien Fitzhenry, the last of the county’s 1996 All-Ireland winners to retire and who had kept goal for the county since making his debut 17 years ago.

Oulart-The-Ballagh’s Lar Prendergast also makes his debut at corner back in a side that welcomes back Eoin Quigley at centre forward after missing last year’s championship.

The experienced Michael Jacob, who scored the goal that consigned Kilkenny to their last defeat in the province six years ago, is back in the starting line-up after only returning to the panel in the latter stages of the league.

Finally, London footballers have named the team to take on Roscommon in the Connacht championship at Ruislip.

Manager Noel Dunning makes seven changes to the team that lost the final league fixture to Longford and there are nine changes to the side that bowed out of last year’s provincial clash with Galway although Ciarán McCallion did feature as a replacement in All-Ireland qualifier defeat by Down. Captained by former Roscommon senior Conor Beirne the team also includes former Galway and Carlow players Paul Geraghty and Derek Hayden.

“This is the first-choice line-up,” Dunning said. “Although I had nearly all of the players on the panel during the league they hardly ever got to play together because of injuries, suspensions and unavailability.”

London’s last win in the championship was in 1977.

TIPPERARY (SH v Cork): B Cummins; P Stapleton, P Maher, P Curran; D Fanning, C O’Mahony, M Cahill; S McGrath, B Maher; N McGrath, S Callanan, J O’Brien, S Callanan; E Kelly, B O’Meara, L Corbett.

GALWAY: C Callanan; D Joyce, S Kavanagh, O Canning; D Barry, T Regan, D Collins; G Farragher, D Burke; D Hayes, C Donnellan, A Smith; A Harte, J Canning, J Gantley.

WEXFORD: N Carton; L Prendergast, K Rossiter, C Kenny; R Kehoe, D Stamp, M Travers; H Kehoe, C Farrell; M Jacob, E Quigley, D Lyng (capt); R Jacob, S Banville, P Atkinson.

LONDON (SF v Roscommon): E Byrne; D Conlon, E Ó Cuiv, B Comer; J Niblock, C Beirne (capt.), N Tuohy; P Geraghty, S McVeigh; B Smyth, D Hayden, C McAllion; K Phair, D Horan, E O’Neill.

TIPPERARY (IHC v Cork): B McCormack; A Byrnes, G Hannigan, L Mackey; E Hanley, N Teehan, R Sherlock; W O’Dwyer, J Coghlan; M Dunne, P Austin, P Buckley; S Carey, C Dillon, P Murnane.