Midfield spot for Decies debutant Hartley

THE Waterford selectors have sprung a major surprise by handing Portlaw’s Jack Hartley his debut at midfield for Sunday’s vital Division 1B National Hurling League game against Offaly in Birr.

Teenager Kevin Moran, who seemed to have nailed down the full-back berth as his own, midfielder Dave Bennett, and wing-forward Eoin McGrath are all left out from the side that scored a runaway victory over Down last time out.

Hartley is the direct replacement for Bennett, James Murray returns in defence after illness kept him out of the Down game, while McGrath makes way for his Mount Sion clubmate Eoin Kelly who has now fully recovered from the ankle injury he picked up in the early stages of last month’s league game against Clare.

Mayo have made three changes in personnel for their Allianz NFL against All-Ireland champions Tyrone at Castlebar on Sunday.

Trevor Howley replaces Pat Kelly in defence. Ronan McGarritty is chosen at midfield instead of Brian Moran, while Kevin O’Neill is preferred to Alan Durcan up front.

Tyrone have chosen the same team that defeated Cork with Ryan Mellon, a last-minute call up for calf muscle injury victim Ger Cavlan, retaining his place at left corner forward.

Dermot McCabe gets his first start in the league for Cavan for their game against Waterford.

Niall O’Shea, Shane Ryan and Jason Sherlock return to the Dublin team for Sunday’s NFL Division 1A meeting with Kerry in Killarney.

St Jude’s clubman O’Shea makes his first start in nearly two months after recovering from injury as a replacement for Peadar Andrews, who wasn’t considered because of a groin complaint. With a shoulder injury ruling out Ciaran Whelan’s participation, Shane Ryan comes into midfield, where he will partner Darren Magee.

Jason Sherlock, who has been missing since the win over Offaly on March 4, returns at centre forward in place of another injury victim, Tomas Quinn. Dublin haven’t beaten the Kingdom on home soil since 1982.

Limerick football manager Mikey Ned O’Sullivan has made three changes in personnel from the team which lost to Donegal for Sunday’s crucial Division 2 clash with Leitrim at the Gaelic Grounds.

Captain Muiris Gavin, introduced as substitute in Ballybofey, starts for the first time since last season’s All-Ireland qualifier against Derry, but his injured Monaleen clubmate Jason O’Brien is not available for selection. Also called in are Timmy Carroll and Darren Horan, preferred over Pat Ahern and Damien Reidy.

With Donegal already promoted and through to the knockout stages, Limerick are battling for second position with Roscommon.

Newtownshandrum player Cathal Naughton gets his first starting place on the Cork team for next Sunday’s Allianz National Hurling League clash with Clare at Pairc Uí Rinn.

Naughton has been named at right corner forward on a side that shows a number of changes from the team that comprehensively defeated Wexford last weekend. Neil Ronan, scoring hero of that game with ten points to his credit, is ruled out with injury.

Pat Mulcahy, who will captain the All-Ireland champions for the first time, takes over the right corner back position from Sherlock, with Darren McSweeney replacing Brian Murphy at left corner back.

CORK (SH v Clare): D. og Cusack; P. Mulcahy, D. O’Sullivan, D. McSweeney; R. Curran, J. Gardiner, C. O’Connor; S. og O’hAilpin, S. O’Neill; N. McCarthy, C. McCann, T. Kenny; C. Naughton, B. Corcoran, C. Cusack.

TYRONE (SFL v Mayo): P. McConnell; R. McMenamin, C. Gormley, M. McGee; D. Harte, J. McMahon, P, Jordan; C. Holmes, S. Cavanagh; B. Dooher, B. McGuigan, K. Hughes; M. Penrose, S. O’Neill, R. Mellon.

MAYO (SFL v Tyrone): J. Healy; K. Higgins, D. Heaney, L. O’Malley; T. Howley. J. Nallen, P. Gardiner; J. Gill, R. McGarritty; A. Dillon, G. Brady, P. J. Padden; A. Moran, A. O’Malley, K. O’Neill.

DUBLIN (SFL v Kerry): S. Cluxton; N. O’Shea, B. Cahill, D. Henry; P. Casey, C. Goggins, P. Griffin; S. Ryan, D. Magee; D. Lally, J. Sherlock, B. Cullen; A. Brogan, C. Keaney, M. Vaughan.

LIMERICK (SFL v Leitrim): C.Mullane; J. Stokes, J. Galvin; D. Horan, T. Carroll, S. Buckley, M. Crowley, M. Gavin, M. Reidy. Subs. M. Jones, P. Ahern, D. Reidy, E. Keating, P. Ranahan, T. McLoughlin, G. Noonan, J. O’Connell, J. Cooke, A. O’Rahilly, E. Ryan

CAVAN (SFL v Waterford): C. Anderson; M. Hannon, P. Reilly, K. Fannin; A. Gaynor, C. Collins, M. Brennan; D. McCabe, N. Walsh; F. O’Reilly, S. Brady, M. Cahill; L. Reilly, E. O’Reilly, S. Johnson.

WATERFORD (SH v Offaly): C. Hennessy; E. Murphy. T. Feeney. J. Murray; D. Coffey. K. McGrath. B. Phelan; M. Walsh. J. Hartley(Portlaw); E. Kelly. D. Shanahan. J. Mullane; J. Kennedy. S. Prendergast. P. Flynn(capt.).

TIPPERARY (SF vs. Antrim): P Fitzgerald; M Phelan, P King, A Morrissey; M Peters, R Costigan, C Maher; E Hanrahan, A Fitzgerald; P Austin, B Lacey, B Hickey; B Mulvihill, D Browne, D O’Brien

DERRY (SH v Westmeath): M Kirkpatrick; F McCloy, E McKeever, G Brunton; P Sweeney, M Conway, R McCloskey; P O’Kane, N Bradley; R Convery, G Biggs, M Craig; K Hinphey, P Hearty, C Quinn.

OFFALY (SFL v Fermanagh): K. Meehan; G. Rafferty, S. Sullivan, S. Casey; K. Slattery, S. Brady, N. Grennan; C. McManus, A. McNamee; J. Coughlan, N. Coughlan, C. Quinn; T. Deehan, P. Kellaghan, N. McNamee.