Roe sticks with his winning formula

MANAGER Pat Roe has given the thumbs up to the starting 15 that shocked Tyrone and brought Wexford to their first National Football League final since 1946 for Sunday’s final showdown with Armagh at Croke Park.

Armagh are also expected to announce an unchanged side even though Ronan Clarke is currently nursing a bruised leg.

Wing forward Barry Nugent is in a race against time to be fit for Clare’s Allianz National Hurling League final clash with Kilkenny at Semple Stadium, Thurles on Monday. Nugent missed last weekend’s victory over Wexford because of a shoulder injury and is given only a 50-50 chance of being fit for the final by manager Anthony Daly.

Corner forward Andrew Quinn is currently down with flu but his chances of making it for the final are much more optimistic.

Though his side lost last weekend, Wexford’s hurling boss Seamus Murphy hopes recently retired Paul Codd will return to the county panel.

Wexford await the preliminary group winners, Dublin or Laois, in their provincial semi-final clash, and Murphy feels that his side needs more physical presence:

“I’ve never closed the door on Paul for I feel he has still much to offer the team. I understand his predicament but having watched him with Rathnure on a few occasions over the past month, he is hurling as well as ever, even playing out of the centre-back position.

“The catalyst to his return to the squad is that he is over his busy potato sowing period. Now that he has this busy period behind him, hopefully he will see a way back to the squad.”

Murphy welcomes back midfielder Adrian Fenlon to training tonight. Fenlon missed the league owing to exams, but star full-back Darragh Ryan is still some way off a return.

Paul Tierney of Blackrock and Sarsfields’ Garvan McCarthy, both of whom figured in the recent Allianz National League campaign, have been omitted from the Cork senior hurling panel for the forthcoming championship.

Three other members of last year’s championship squad - John Anderson, J. P. King and Michael Byrne were excluded earlier in the year.

The squad for the championship was finalised after last Sunday’s league game against Galway with 28 players named and two further places to be filled over the next few weeks.

The newcomers to the championship panel from last year are Peter Kelly, Erins Own; Eamonn Collins, Valley Rovers; Kieran Murphy, Erins Own; Ronan McGregor, Na Piarsaigh; Neil Ronan, Ballyhea and Kevin Hartnett, Russell Rovers.

The Cork Under 21 football selectors have made one change from the side that won the Munster championship for next Saturday’s All-Ireland semi-final against Galway at the Limerick Gaelic Grounds.

Donal Óg O’Donovan of St Nick’s returns to the full-back position after missing the last two games because of injury and he replaces Kevin O’Halloran.

WEXFORD (SF v Armagh): J. Cooper; C. Morris, P. Wallace, N. Murphy; D. Breen, D. Murphy, S. Cullen; D. Kinsella, N. Lambert; D. Fogarty, P. Coffey, J. Hegarty; R. Barry, J. Hudson, M. Forde.

CORK (UNDER 21 FC v Galway): K. O’Halloran (Bishopstown); A. Tanner (Skibbereen), D. Óg O’Donovan (St. Nicholas), F. Tobin (Douglas); D. Limerick (Castlehaven), D. Cunningham (St. Nicholas), E. Cadogan (Douglas); A. O’Connor (St. Colm’s), P. Kelly (Ballincollig); F. Gould (Macroom), J. Hayes, (Carbery Rangers), P. Kerrigan (Nemo Rangers); D. Goulding (Eire Óg), P. O’Flynn (Ballyclough), M. Murphy (Ballinora).

Cork (SH panel): D. Óg Cusack; M. Coleman, P. Morrissey, B. Murphy, D. O’Sullivan, W. Sherlock, J. Browne, C. O’Connor, P. Mulcahy, G. Callinan, J. Gardiner, R. Curran, S. Óg O hAilpin, J. O’Connor, T. Kenny, B. O’Connor, N. McCarthy, T. McCarthy, K. Murphy (Sars), B. Corcoran, J. Deane, N. Ronan, P. Kelly, R. McGregor, K. Hartnett, K. Murphy (Erins Own), E. Collins, J. O’Callaghan.