Offaly SF

Offaly's prospects of causing a shock when they take on Meath in the first round of the Leinster Senior Football Championship on June 4th have been seriously dented by the certain absence of Ciaran McManus following his dismissal in a club fixture last weekend.

McManus lined out with Tubber against Shannonbridge in Ferbane on Saturday evening and, having been earlier yellow-carded by referee Eddie Dunne, was shown a straight red card for another offence.

He thus incurs an automatic minimum suspension of one month which rules him out of the fixture against Meath.

Laois SH

Laois have made just one change to the team which defeated Westmeath in the Leinster preliminary round nine days ago for the second match in the pool against Carlow tomorrow evening. Declan Conroy, who was unavailable for the last match, returns at centrefield to partner Cyril Cuddy.

Anthony Coffey drops back to the bench with James Phelan moving into his place at right corner forward and Niall Rigney switching from centrefield to the left wing.

Manager Sean Cuddy had been concerned about the fitness of central defenders Paul Cuddy and Bill Maher, but both have shaken off the effects of the groin strains which they each picked up during the Westmeath match.

Laois (SH v Carlow) - J Lyons; PJ Peacock, B Maher, J O'Sullivan; P Mahon, P Cuddy, D Dowling; C Cuddy, D Conroy; D Rooney, D Cuddy, N Rigney; J Phelan, J Young, F O'Sullivan.

Carlow

Carlow will name both hurling and football teams tonight. The hurlers, who face Laois tomorrow, have been conducting fitness tests on forwards Ciaran Jordan (groin strain) and John Byrne (hand injury). Manager Eddie Byrne will again have available Des Murphy, who was suspended for three months after the Kehoe Cup final against Westmeath last February.

Wicklow SF

Kevin O'Brien's absence from Sunday's Wicklow team had been expected for a while as his son was making his confirmation on the day. According to a source in O'Brien's club Baltinglass, Wicklow and manager Moses Coffey decided to keep the news under wraps until as late as possible before the Longford match.