Cork give Clifford nod against Galway
The Bantry Blues star, who has been plagued with injury over the years since captaining the side in the All-Ireland final defeat by Meath in 1999, came on as a substitute in last weekend’s victory over Sligo and retains his place at right corner-forward to the exclusion of Fintan Goold.
With team captain Eoin Sexton, Anthony Lynch and Nicholas Murphy all fit to play, the remainder of Cork’s starting line-up remains intact.
Sexton sustained a ‘dead leg’ during the course of the Sligo game, while Lynch and Murphy were replaced purely as precautionary measures after picking up slight hamstring and calf muscle injuries.
Meanwhile, forward Marty McNicholas has been listed as ‘extremely doubtful’ for Mayo’s All-Ireland quarter-final clash with Kerry. The Breaffy clubman injured a knee in training on Monday night and went for a scan in a Galway hospital yesterday. John Maughan will find out the results at training tonight after which he is expected to name his starting line-up.
McNicholas, who was a substitute for last year’s All-Ireland final against the Kingdom, has endured an injury-ravaged year. Having been sidelined for the National League, he returned in time for the Connacht championship but has been unable to nail down a starting spot in his favoured corner-forward position.
However, he did replace Conor Mortimer the last day against Cavan, registering a point in the process.
Tyrone defender Ryan McMenamin will find out tomorrow whether he will be allowed to play in Saturday’s All-Ireland Football Championship qualifier clash with Monaghan.
McMenamin is due to attend a disciplinary hearing at Croke Park tonight to answer a charge arising out of the Ulster final replay against Armagh. He is one of three players summoned to the meeting, with Armagh pair Paul McGrane and Ciaran McKeever also set to face the Central Disciplinary Committee.
The threat of suspension hangs over all three players, but Tyrone manager Mickey Harte is refusing to consider the possibility of being without his experienced corner-back, who turned in a man of the match performance in the controversial defeat to Armagh.
“My view is that all my players are available, apart from those who are injured,” said Harte.
He accepted that a ban is “within the realms of possibility” in McMenamin’s case, but said: “But I have to say that as from now, all those players, apart from those who are injured, are available.”
Monaghan manager, Seamus McEneaney, has left the position of left half-forward vacant as he contemplates his options in preparation for Saturday’s showdown with Tyrone.
Rory Woods is one name in contention for that berth as he is again available following his suspension for his red card against Derry but the manager insists that there are two or three other players in contention for that final place and he will not be making a decision until very shortly before the game.
Gary McQuaid who is back on the panel after being dropped for disciplinary reasons is named at left half-back although he may be delegated a specific man marking role once the game has started. This, according to the manager, is Monaghan’s biggest game in quite a few years as they come from being rated among the bottom three in the country at the start of the season to where they are playing a team rated in the top three and still among the favourites for the title.
: K. O’Dwyer; N. Geary, G. Canty, G. Murphy; E. Sexton, A. Lynch, N. O’Leary; N. Murphy, D. Kavanagh; K. MacMahon, C. McCarthy, B. J. O’Sullivan; P. Clifford, J. Masters, J. Hayes.
: S. Duffy; D. McArdle, J. Coyle, C. Flanagan; D. Freeman, V. Corey, G. McQuaid; D. Clerkin, E. Lennon; J. McElroy, P. Finlay, A.N. Other; T. Freeman, H. McElroy, S. Gollogly.
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