Loss of Kelly could thwart Tipp

IT may only be the League, but there is still the promise of a cracking game at Cusack Park tomorrow when the hurlers of Clare and Tipperary renew their age old rivalry.

Both counties made it through to the second phase the clear objective of the respective managers Anthony Daly and Ken Hogan in their first season in charge but the real tests have yet to come.

When they clashed at the same venue in the eighth round last season Tipperary won by an eight-point margin, advancing to the final where they lost to Kilkenny in a high-scoring encounter.

Philip Maher, who suffered a serious knee injury that day, will be starting his first game for the Premier County since then, while Clare welcome back Brian Lohan, whose only appearance so far was as a second half substitute against Waterford. Meanwhile, brother Frank is still learning his trade at the other end of the field.

His choice at full-forward is one of a number of interesting decisions made by Daly and Co. 19-year-old Brian O'Connell was introduced at full-back in Brian's absence and did very well. Likewise, Gerry O'Grady has reportedly made a big impact at corner-back. Both are rested for this game, with O'Grady involved in the U21 championship with his club yesterday.

Frank Lohan is still attempting to settle into his new attacking role but is pleased with progress.

"I'm enjoying it, maybe not scoring as much as I did in the first few games, but enjoying it all the same,'' he says. "It's a different challenge, particularly as conditions get a bit better more summer-like.''

With Colin Lynch operating outside him at centre-forward (for the third consecutive round), Frank admits he is still on something of a learning curve.

"It takes a bit of time,'' he adds. "It's very early days for the team, but things are working out okay. We'll see how the hurling comes on in the next few weeks. Obviously, we're pleased to be involved in the second phase. That was our initial goal. The six teams there have three competitive games to look forward to and that's what you need at this time of the year.

"We're looking forward to getting three good matches, starting with Tipperary. I'd expect a good lively clash. Both teams are in the same boat, trying to get a team together, trying to get a few performances together.''

Sean McMahon and David Hoey, along with Tony Griffin, are absentees from the Clare team.

Tipperary, likewise, show six changes from their last outing, against Cork. Most notably, top scorer Eoin Kelly is ruled out through injury, while the selectors experiment with Brian O'Meara at full-forward.

Depending on how Clare perform and specifically how much Lynch and Lohan contribute to an attack which has seen an improvement from Niall Gilligan Kelly's absence could be crucial.