No place for Broderick as Tribesmen select semi-final starters

GALWAY have selected the same fifteen which started the semi-final for Sunday’s Guinness All-Ireland senior hurling championship final with Cork at Croke Park.

As expected, Tony Og Regan will start at full-back with Shane Kavanagh at centre-back after the two successfully swapped positions during the thrilling win over Kilkenny.

Otherwise, it is the same side that defeated Brian Cody’s men by 5-18 to 4-18. This means that there is no place for Kevin Broderick.

The double all-star, who missed most of Galway’s championship campaign after undergoing surgery for a groin injury, is being kept in reserve.

Broderick came on in the semi-final win over Kilkenny but manager Conor Hayes and his selectors have decided not to alter the starting six in attack.

“We have decided to go with the same side. We were never going to carry out much alteration.

“The switch of Tony Og Regan and Shane Kavanagh worked well against Kilkenny and it was obvious they would start in those positions for the final,” said Hayes after announcing his side last night.

Galway report a clean bill of health for the final with top marksman Ger Farragher fully recovered from a hamstring injury which has bothered him since before the semi-final.

Hayes and his selectors had a full squad in training in Athenry last night.

The chairman of the Cork selection committee Joe O’Leary of Na Piarsaigh said that the champions were not one bit surprised that Galway had gone down the road they had.

“We thought for a while that they might opt for Kevin Broderick in their starting fifteen because he is such a class player. But the six forwards that started against Kilkenny performed so well that it was always going to be odds on that they would be retained en-bloc,” he said.

Cork wrapped up their preparations following a private session at Pairc Ui Rinn last night. Selector O’Leary revealed: “Everybody’s okay. Ben O’Connor was laid low last weekend with the flu but he is fine again. Everything is ready. The work has been done on the training ground and this bunch of players are as ready as they will ever be.”