Kilkenny shuffle the pack for final

ALL-IRELAND hurling champions Kilkenny make three changes in personnel and five positional switches from the win over Offaly for tomorrow’s Leinster hurling final with an unchanged Wexford.

Jackie Tyrrell is named at midfield in place of the injured Michael Fennelly, while Derek Lyng is recalled at centre-forward. Richie Power comes back after injury at right corner-forward. It means Michael Rice and Richie Hogan lose out in attack.

The positional alterations see Tyrrell moving from left corner-back, replaced by John Dalton who drops back from the left wing. Filling his position will be PJ Delaney, one of several substitutes used in the last game.

In attack, Eoin Larkin moves from full-forward to left half-forward, Eddie Brennan from there to the right corner and Henry Shefflin switches to the edge of the square.

As well as Fennelly, Noel Hickey and James Ryall were also ruled out because of injuries.

Other than the naming of Eoin Quigley at midfield, where he finished in the semi-final replay against Dublin, Wexford manager John Meyler has given a vote of confidence to the fifteen who started that day. This move results in PJ Nolan being chosen at right half-forward.

Interestingly, only nine of the players lined out in last year’s final and more interestingly, apart from goalkeeper Damien Fitzhenry, only Quigley and captain Rory Jacob (at left corner-forward) are in the same positions.

David ‘Doc’ O’Connor and Darren Stamp, both chosen in the half-back line, lined out that day at centre and full-forward respectively. Completing the half-back line is Michael Jacob, who scored the dramatic injury-time goal in the 2004 semi-final which gave Wexford their last championship victory over their great rivals.

KILKENNY: P.J. Ryan; M. Kavanagh, J.J. Delaney, J. Dalton; T. Walsh, B. Hogan, P.J. Delaney; J. Fitzpatrick (capt.), J. Tyrrell; M. Comerford, D. Lyng, E. Larkin; R. Power, H. Shefflin, E. Brennan.

WEXFORD: D. Fitzhenry; M. Travers, K. Rossiter, P. Roche; M. Jacob, D. O’Connor, D. Stamp; E. Quigley, D. Redmond; P.J. Nolan, W. Doran, D. Lyng; S. Doyle, S. Banville, R. Jacob (capt.).