Tipperary’s injury worries keep Hogan waiting

TIPPERARY have deferred selection of their team to meet Galway in the quarter final of the Guinness All-Ireland SHC at Croke Park on Sunday until the weekend.

The Tipp team was due to be announced last night but with Lar Corbett sidelined and injury doubts surrounding Hugh Mullins, John Corcoran and Colin Morrissey, manager Ken Hogan, has decided to keep his powder dry until the last moment.

Sligo manager Dom Corrigan has bolstered his attacking options ahead of Saturday’s All-Ireland SFC Qualifier against Cork in Portlaoise with a sensational recall to the squad for former talisman Paul Taylor, who had announced his retirement from the inter-county scene nine months ago.

Corrigan is said to have been impressed by Taylor when watching him score six points for his club, Eastern Harps, in last Sunday’s Sligo SFC fixture against Ballymote.

Taylor, 30, declared his inter-county retirement last November, citing increased work commitments as the primary reason.

In recent years the creative forward ­ who played in the Connacht Senior finals in 1997 and 2002 ­ has been hampered by injuries, which meant his best years were arguably witnessed during the managerial tenure of Mickey Moran.

But he has continued to excel at club level, helping Eastern Harps to record 10 victories in Division 1A of this year’s Sligo League.

Billy Morgan’s Cork team shows one change from the side which fell to Kerry in the recent Munster final at Pairc Ui Chaoimh.

Brendan Ger O’Sullivan comes in for Micheál Ó Croinín, who has to settle for a place on the bench. O’Sullivan will play at full forward with Fintan Goold on his right and John Hayes on his left.

Down hurling manager John Crossey has named the same team which lost their final Group B match to Westmeath a fortnight ago, for Sunday’s Christy Ring Cup semi-final against Carlow in Parnell Park.

Following brilliant displays with the under 21 team in their provincial final victory over Derry last week, the Newry Shamrocks duo of Eoin McGuinness and Ciaran Courtney have been drafted into the panel.

CORK (SFC v Sligo): K. O’Dwyer; N. Geary, G. Canty, G. Murphy; N. O’Leary, A. Lynch, E. Sexton; D. Kavanagh, N. Murphy; J. Masters, C. McCarthy, K. McMahon; F. Goold, B.G O’Sullivan, J. Hayes.

DOWN (SH v Carlow): Graham Clarke; L. Clarke, S. Murray, C. Coulter; Gabriel Clarke, G. Savage, S. Wilson; G. Adair, A. Savage; E. Clarke, P. Bandiff, B. McGourty; M. Coulter, G. Johnson, S. Clarke.

ANTRIM (SH v Laois): D. Quinn; M. Kettle, G. Bell, B. Herron; M. McCambridge, K. McKeegan, C. Herron; C. Cunning, J. Connolly; B. McFall, C. Hamill, M. Scullion; J. McIntosh, P. Richmond, B. Quinn.