Wexford took the psychological boost away from this clash as they hammered a very poor Laois outfit with 15 points to spare at Bellefield yesterday.

The Tipperary senior hurling team to play Cork in the Allianz NHL Division 1A clash at Semple Stadium on Sunday shows four changes from the team which started in last weekend’s drawn game with Dublin.

Cork U21 football captain Rory O’Sullivan will miss the rest of their campaign after damaging his cruciate ligament for the second time in just over a year during Wednesday night’s Munster semi-final victory over Clare.

Clare booked their place in the NHL Division 1B final after their fourth consecutive win of the campaign at Cusack Park, Ennis yesterday.

Tipperary 4-17 Kilkenny 1-18

STRICTLY speaking, this doesn’t fit into the category of ‘classic’ finals as only one team performed! But, whatever about Kilkenny’s right to be rated the greatest team in the history of the game, their superb first-half display was arguably the closest to hurling perfection witnessed in modern times.

Kilkenny 4-19 Dublin 0-12, Croke Park

Galway 2-22 Wexford 1-14

MICHAEL CAHILL and Brian O’Meara will make their championship debuts for Tipperary in Sunday’s Munster SHC quarter-final against Cork in Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

Goalkeeper Noel Carton and right corner back Lar Prendergast are the only Championship debutants in the Wexford team to face Galway in Saturday night's Leinster SHC quarter-final.

Noel Hickey is set to make his first competitive start for Kilkenny since the 2008 All-Ireland final, after Brian Cody named the defender in his side to face Limerick at the Gaelic Grounds tomorrow.

NOEL HICKEY makes his long-awaited comeback from injury for Kilkenny tomorrow afternoon after he was named at full-back for their NHL Division 1 clash against Limerick.

Laois manager Niall Rigney and his Wexford counterpart Colm Bonnar have named their respective starting line-ups ahead of Sunday's important NHL Division 2 encounter in Portlaoise (throw-in 2.30pm).

TOP-GUNS John Gardiner and Jerry O’Connor have been given starting places on the Cork team for next Sunday’s crunch Allianz Division One NHL clash with Tipperary at Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

KILKENNY welcome back James ‘Cha’ Fitzpatrick and TJ Reid from the All-Ireland Club champions Ballyhale Shamrocks for the Allianz NHL Division One clash with Galway at Nowlan Park tomorrow.

THE KERRY management’s desire to employ Marc Ó Sé’s footballing talents in the half-back line gets another trial tomorrow in Tralee, with the youngest of the Gaeltacht brothers selected at right half-back for the clash with Mayo.

GALWAY may have their work cut out with Colm Cooper at Pearse Stadium tomorrow, but Joe Kernan’s side will have another dangerous Dr Crokes corner-forward to contend with too.

AS Kerry last night named their side for tomorrow’s vital Allianz NFL Division 1 clash with Derry at Fitzgerald Stadium (2.30pm), the Kerry County Board confirmed the news that former Kingdom great John Egan is being treated at Cork University Hospital following a recent accident at his home in Cork.

WITH ace forward Eoin Kelly passed fit following a back injury, Tipperary have named nine of the side that started against Kilkenny in last season’s All-Ireland final for tomorrow night’s opening Allianz NHL game against the champions under lights at Semple Stadium, Thurles.

Both Dublin manager Anthony Daly and his Wexford counterpart Colm Bonnar have announced their sides for tomorrow's Walsh Cup semi-final in Gorey.

OFF the field, the raging inferno that is the Limerick hurling crisis burns on, yet between the white lines Justin McCarthy is attempting to plough on with the preparation work for the 2010 season.

Kilkenny 2-22 Tipperary 0-23

Kilkenny manager Brian Cody has sensationally omitted last year's All-Ireland-winning captain James 'Cha' Fitzpatrick from his team for Sunday's SHC final showdown with Tipperary at Croke Park.

Kilkenny manager Brian Cody has sensationally omitted last year's All-Ireland-winning captain James 'Cha' Fitzpatrick from his team for Sunday's SHC final showdown with Tipperary at Croke Park (throw-in 3.30pm).

Clare 2-24 Wexford 2-18

Wexford manager Colm Bonnar has made just one change to his side for Saturday's All-Ireland SHC relegation play-off against Clare at O'Moore Park in Portlaoise (throw-in 5pm).

KILKENNY have made two changes for tonight’s Leinster U21HC decider at Parnell Park.

Wexford 0-14 Limerick 1-13

Dublin 0-18 Wexford 1-13

Kilkenny 2-20 Galway 3-13

Wexford 2-17 Offaly 0-16

KILKENNY will parade six of last year’s All-Ireland U21 hurling winning side when they face Laois in tonight’s Leinster championship opener in Nowlan Park at 7.30pm.

OFFALY struck a huge psychological blow against Wexford as they secured Division One hurling for 2010 with victory in yesterday’s NHL Division Two decider at Semple Stadium.

JOE JORDAN of Blarney makes his senior debut as Cork take on All-Ireland champions Kilkenny in the Allianz NHL at Nowlan Park in Denis Walsh’s first match in charge on Sunday.

WHAT a difference six months makes.

CORK Institute of Technology secured a place in next week’s Fitzgibbon Cup semi-final against the University of Limerick, but only after a nerve-shredding journey on their home ground yesterday.

THE 2008 Cork panel met last night to settle on a time and place for their upcoming press conference.

Scotland 1-10 Ireland 1-09, Nowlan Park

Following in Waterford's footsteps, Kilkenny have also named an unchanged team for tomorrow's GAA Hurling All-Ireland senior final against the Deise at Croke Park, throw-in 3.30pm.

Defender Colm Farrell has been drafted in as the only change to the Wexford team for tomorrow's All-Ireland SHC quarter-final clash with Waterford in Thurles (throw-in 2pm).

Kilkenny 5-21 Wexford 0-17

Kilkenny manager Brian Cody has made three changes to his team for tomorrow's Leinster SHC final against Wexford (Croke Park, throw-in 4pm) - the Cats' tenth provincial decider in 11 years.

WEXFORD’S footballers may have achieved one major breakthrough at Croke Park yesterday but their hurling counterparts proved to be in no mood to accommodate a second such romantic script.