Waterford have made only one change in their side to play Kilkenny in the All-Ireland semi-final at Croke Park on Sunday, but Clare have been hit with the news that PJ O'Connell is out of their replay with Offaly on Saturday week. O'Connell broke his thumb in the closing stages of the drawn match last Sunday.
Waterford's only change from the quarter-final win over Galway sees Micheal White returning to the team after suspension. He was sent off, with Clare full back Brian Lohan, early in the Munster final replay in Thurles. Now, having served his suspension, he comes back into the side. However, it is not Sean Daly, the man who replaced White for the Galway game, that loses out. White returns to the side at left half forward and his Lismore club-mate, Dave Bennett, drops to the bench. Daly, Anthony Kirwan and Paul Flynn will make up the full forward line. Ken McGrath has recovered from injury to line out at centre forward.
Waterford name the same midfield and defence. The fitness of Sean Cullinane and Tony Browne was questioned earlier in their campaign, but the complete recovery of these crucial central players seems to indicate that Waterford are in very good shape for this match.
Full back Cullinane missed the Munster final replay through injury, but played impressively in the quarter-final. Browne came through an injury scare after the Munster replay to also play well in the win over Galway.
Fortunately for Kilkenny, doubts about the availability of Charlie Carter, their top scorer in the championship so far, have been dismissed following his appearance in a training match last weekend. He suffered a freak injury to his eye in training, but has made spectacular progress and has been medically cleared to play. Some worries still persist about Willie O'Connor, but he too has reported good progress.
In the meantime, Clare's traumas continue with the news that PJ O'Connell, their right half forward, broke his thumb in the closing stages of the drawn match with Offaly last Sunday. The thumb is now in a special brace in a bid to hasten healing, but his chances of being fit for the replay next Saturday week are reported to be next to nil. There are some suggestions that even if Clare go through to the final, O'Connell has a very slim chance of making that match. To add to Clare's worries, Jamesie O'Connor, a central figure in all of their efforts, has a thigh injury which has curtailed his training programme, but there are hopes that, with treatment, he will be able to appear in the replay. The fitness of right half back Liam Doyle is also in some doubt. Doyle was nursing an injury in the build-up to last Sunday's game.
Waterford have been fortunate that they have been able to relax and distance themselves from the furore which has surrounded Clare and to concentrate on their clash with neighbours Kilkenny. It will be the first time that Waterford and Kilkenny have met in an All-Ireland semi-final, although they have met in the final on three occasions. Waterford lost by a point to Kilkenny in the final of of 1957 on a score of 4-10 to 3-12. They won the replayed final of 1959 by 3-12 to 110 and lost the 1963 final by 6-8 to 4-17.
Meanwhile, on the football front, fears persist in Galway about the availability of Kevin Walsh, their inspirational midfielder, for their All-Ireland semi-final meeting with Derry on Sunday week. Walsh was carried off the field on a stretcher with a bad calf muscle injury near the end of Galway's Connacht final replay victory over Roscommon, nearly three weeks ago.
He has since had to undergo intensive treatment and his training has been seriously curtailed as a result, but he has made considerable progress during the past week and has resumed light training.
Also in Connacht it has been announced that the former Galway and Mayo player, Tomas Tierney, has been named as a Mayo selector for the coming year. The Mayo manager, John Maughan, has been confirmed as team manager for another three-year term.
Tierney played for Galway in the 1983 All-Ireland final against Dublin, but later switched his allegiance to Mayo when he took up a teaching post in Westport.
