Tipperary look to young blood for Offaly league opener

TIPPERARY introduce three newcomers for their opening game in the Allianz National Hurling League against Offaly at Birr on Sunday.

Michael Phelan, Shane Maher and Seamus Butler, recent members of the county's U21 squad, are called up, with Aformer Kilkenny star Denis Byrne making his first competitive start in blue and gold as a midfielder.

Phelan, who held Setanta Ó hAilpín scoreless in last season's Munster U21 championship, has been named at left corner-back. Maher, from the Burgess club will lead the Tipp attack with Butler, a son of former Allstar Tommy, at right corner-forward.

John Carroll has been named in the troublesome centre-back position. Carroll excelled as a half-back in the early part of his career and won an Allstar award as a right half-back but was moved forward to attack when Tipp experimented with Tomas Dunne and David Kennedy in the pivotal berth in the last two seasons.

Former All-Ireland winning captain Dunne is ruled out of this game due to illness, while regular full-back Philip Maher is back in training but has not recovered sufficiently from a knee injury. His understudy Paul Curran is in the US and David Kennedy takes over the position.

Jerry O'Loughlin from Loughrea, a former All-Ireland winning minor medallist, will make his first senior appearance for Galway when they play host to Dublin on Sunday.

O'Loughlin has been included at right corner-forward on a team that contains all the old regulars.

Champions Kilkenny will be without Peter Barry for Sunday's game with Waterford. Barry only returns from holidays on Saturday night. Otherwise manager Brian Cody will pick from a full squad after training tonight.

Already without the retired Larry O'Gorman and Liam Dunne, Wexford face a home game against Antrim on Sunday without Adrian Fenlon.

The Rapparees man walks up the aisle on Friday and will miss Wexford's opening two games. Coupled with retirements, only four of the 1996 All-Ireland winning team are available and team manager John Conran is likely to field new faces on Sunday.

Laois are another team likely to include a number of newcomers for their home game against Clare. Regular goalkeeper John Lyons has retired while Paul Glennon is struggling with a hamstring injury. The Cuddy twins, Paul and David, have only returned to training and are unlikely to be named tonight in the starting 15.

Anthony Daly, making his debut as Clare coach, is concerned about the fitness of Diarmuid McMahon. He picked up a hand injury in last Saturday's challenge with Cork and is doubtful. On the plus side, Davy Fitzgerald and Brian Lohan are set to return. Daly names his team tonight.

Offaly coach Mike McNamara also names his team tonight but has no injury problems. However, he must plan without the Whelahan brothers who haven't returned to training yet, but are expected to in the coming weeks.

Waterford will be without five of the players that started in last year's Munster final against Cork and seven of those involved in the subsequent All-Ireland qualifier against Wexford for the trip to Nowlan Park.

A number of other players are also nursing niggling injuries picked up in last weekend's victory over Tipperary in an AIB tournament game at Walsh Park, and as a consequence manager Justin McCarthy and his selectors are unlikely to announce the team to take on the Cats earlier than tomorrow.

To compound Deise woes they must also begin the league campaign without the influential presence of the McGrath brothers, Ken and Eoin. Ken is suffering a recurrence of a groin injury and could be sidelined for several weeks, while younger brother Eoin is serving a carry-over suspension. Mount Sion colleague Tony Browne is likely to wear the number six jersey.

There could be a league debut at corner-back for Tallow's David O'Brien, whose younger brother Paul also comes into the reckoning in attack. Dave Bennett and Stradbally's promising Michael Walsh will be the likely midfield pairing with Dan Shanahan favoured to replace Ken McGrath as leader of the attack.

Allstar John Mullane will most likely fill his customary corner-forward berth but Paul Flynn could find himself moved from the corner to the wing.

TIPPERARY (SH v Offaly): B. Cummins; T. Costello, D. Kennedy, M. Phelan; E. Corcoran, J. Carroll, P. Kelly; D. Byrne, E. Enright; B. O'Meara, S. Maher, B. Dunne; S. Butler, G. O'Grady, E. Kelly. Subs: J. Cottrell, P. Buckley, L. Corbett, J. Devane, D. Fitzgerald, N. Moloney, M. O'Leary, P. O'Brien, P. Shortt, S. Sweeney.

GALWAY (SH v Dublin): L. Donoghue; D. Joyce, D. Cloonan, O. Fanning; D. Hardiman, T. Regan, F. Moore; D. Tierney, F. Healy; D. Forde, M. Keirns, K. Broderick; J. O'Loughlin, E. Cloonan, D. Hayes.