GAELIC GAMES:TIPPERARY WILL be without three of their six starting forwards from last September's All-Ireland hurling final victory over Kilkenny for next Saturday night's league rematch at Semple Stadium.

Manager Declan Ryan has to plan without captain Eoin Kelly, All-Ireland final hat-trick hero Lar Corbett and John O’Brien.

Kelly is getting married next Friday and it is understood that the six-time All Star won’t be involved until the March 5th visit of Waterford to Semple Stadium.

Corbett has been ruled out with a foot injury and O’Brien won’t feature after undergoing surgery on a wrist injury.

Ryan should still be able to call upon the vast majority of last September’s All-Ireland winning team, with David Young expected to step into the right-half back position vacated by the retired Declan Fanning.

Ryan, meanwhile, has let a number of players go from his extended panel as he looks ahead to the league campaign.

Darragh Egan and Jody Brennan, who were on last year’s All-Ireland winning squad, have been dropped along with Darragh Hickey, Timmy Dalton and goalkeeper Matthew Ryan.

Meanwhile, the All-Ireland champions may well begin a new campaign without an official shirt sponsor.

Negotiations with Skoda are continuing behind the scenes but the new deal may not be tied down in time for the visit of Kilkenny on Saturday.

Car manufacturer Skoda are in line to replace long-serving Enfer as shirt sponsors and last Sunday Tipperary’s senior footballers began their Division Three campaign with “Tiobraid Árann” printed on their shirts, where an official shirt sponsor logo should be. Throughout the official match programme, there was no mention of Enfer and on the front cover, a file picture of captain Barry Grogan was used with the Enfer logo scrubbed out from the player’s jersey.