Hunt and Reynolds in Offaly attack for clash with Wexford
Doon clubman Hunt and Clara’s Reynolds are named in the half forward line to the exclusion of Colm Quinn and Trevor Phelan, who started the controversial win over Kildare on May 28.
Despite speculation that he would be given the task of marking Matty Forde, former Allstar corner back Cathal Daly has been kept in reserve following his recent return to the squad. Wexford have no injury concerns.
Down defender Brendan Grant faces a long lay-off after suffering serious facial injuries during a club fixture at the weekend. The Mayobridge clubman sustained a shattered cheekbone and a hairline fracture of his jaw in an incident in the game against Burren.
The game was abandoned after the incident, which happened seven minutes before the end of the match.
Mayobridge club officer James Gallagher speculated that the Burren player who inflicted the injuries on Grant following a late tackle “must deeply regret” them.
“I would like to add that the Burren club were very good and have been enquiring about Brendan following his injuries,” he added.
Meanwhile, Tyrone boss Mickey Harte may have star forward Stephen O’Neill back for the All-Ireland qualifier against Laois at Portlaoise on July 8.
O’Neill suffered a recurrence of a hamstring injury in the Round One qualifier draw with Louth. Tyrone could have been in action this weekend but the extra seven days may prove crucial for O’Neill.
“I suppose he has a fighting chance now — having two weeks instead of one gives him that chance,” said Harte.
Laois are entitled to a two-week break after their defeat to Dublin in the Leinster SFC semi-final on Sunday.
“I suppose the draw has favoured us in that respect,” added Harte.
Brian Dooher is set to miss the rest of the season with a knee problem but the injuries sustained by Conor Gormley and Collie Holmes in the weekend replay win over Louth are not as serious as feared. Holmes is recovering from a knee injury while Gormley will face Laois after suffering concussion.
Red Hands skipper Dooher sustained a cracked kneecap during a training accident over a fortnight ago. Tyrone already have Brian McGuigan out for the year with a broken leg. Colm McCullagh will remain in the panel after his five points against Louth.
The new Limerick hurling management have been dealt a blow in the build up to Saturday’s crucial All-Ireland qualifier against Offaly in Tullamore, with confirmation that former Allstar Ollie Moran has been ruled out of action with a knee injury for three weeks, at least. There are also concerns about the fitness of Brian Geary.
Football manager Mikey Ned O’Sullivan faces a similar dilemma in that Eoin Keating will be unavailable for the remainder of the championship as he is out of the country for a few months. Limerick meet Westmeath in their All-Ireland qualifier in Mullingar at the weekend, having been beaten by Cork in the Munster semi-final.
Young attacker Dessie Mythen looks set to miss out on Wexford’s Leinster senior hurling final clash with Kilkenny in Croke Park on Sunday next.
Mythen, has failed to recover from a hamstring injury, that forced him to miss the start of their semi-final victory over Offaly.
Paul Codd who made a shock return to the squad, following a two-year absence, is also set to sit out the final. Codd who had a calf muscle problem before the Offaly game, aggravated the injury when introduced as a substitute.
Better luck for manager Seamus Murphy is that corner-forward Rory Jacob is expected to shake off a heel problem to take his place in the side.
: P Kelly; G Rafferty, S Sullivan, N Grennan; P McConway, S Brady, K Slattery; A McNamee, C McManus; D Hunt, N Coughlan, J Reynolds; T Deehan, P Kellaghan, N McNamee.
: S. Kiely; S. Gallagher, J. McCarthy, P. Browne; A. Lane, S. Lavin, C. Mullane; J. Galvin, T. Carroll; J. Cooke, D. Horan, S. Buckley; M. Crowley, M. Gavin, M. Reidy.
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