Four U21s added to Cork panel

CORK football boss Conor Counihan has added four of the county’s recent All-Ireland U21 winners to the senior panel ahead of Sunday’s Munster SFC opener against Waterford in Dungarvan.

U21 captain Colm O’Neill is joined by defensive duo Noel Galvin and Aidan Walsh and attacker Ciarán Sheehan. The Cork management remain hopeful Anthony Lynch will shake off the shoulder injury which kept him out of last Friday’s challenge against Galway.

Patrick Kelly and Conor McCarthy picked up knocks in county SFC games over the weekend, but the injuries are not expected to be serious enough to force them out of contention next Sunday.

Michael Cussen and Kevin O’Sullivan are ruled out, their injuries not having cleared up in time for Sunday’s game. Defender Diarmuid Duggan is also out after undergoing a knee operation last week.

Waterford will be without midfielder Mick Aherne, who has a virus problem, and defender Justin Walsh is out with a hamstring injury. A decision has yet to be made on whether dual stars Gary Hurney and Shane Walsh will be available for the footballers, but Patrick Hurney is in contention for a starting place.

Dublin manager Pat Gilroy has added former team captain Colin Moran to his backroom team for this year’s championship. Moran, 28, was forced to quit intercounty football in April with a hip problem but revealed he may be the team’s ‘runner’ for championship matches while also assisting at training sessions.

“Most of the lads have been away for the last ten days with their clubs, but I expect I will be helping out with some of the coaching drills. I think the way it works for championship games is that one guy is allowed on the pitch with instructions and that could be a role for me. Pat asked me to stay involved during the summer and I’m really looking forward to it.”

Flying attacker Stephen Kelly is the only confirmed absentee for Limerick’s Munster SFC opener against Tipperary on Sunday, after breaking a bone in his hand playing for Shannon in the AIL recently. Ballysteen defenders Shane Gallagher (shoulder) and Pa Ranahan (hamstring) are the other doubts for manager Mickey Ned O’Sullivan.

In contrast Tipperary have a clean bill of health with Ciarán McDonald (shoulder), Brian Fox (wrist) and Sean Carey (hand) having all shaken off their respective injuries to regain full fitness. Meanwhile, Clare duo Gerry O’Grady and Jonathan Clancy have emerged as injury doubts for next month’s Munster SHC semi-final tie. O’Grady will discover over the next few days the seriousness of the ankle injury he sustained while playing for Crusheen in the Clare county hurling championship at the weekend, while Clancy broke a finger training with Clarecastle last week.

Derry’s Enda Muldoon has been ruled out of Sunday’s Ulster SFC clash with Monaghan after breaking a bone in his foot during a team-bonding exercise in Cavan.

Muldoon sustained the injury at the Slieve Russell Hotel in Ballyconnell and is expected to be ruled out of action for several weeks. The midfielder had suffered a similar problem last year, which forced him to miss Ballinderry’s Ulster club final replay clash against Crossmaglen. Derry boss Damien Cassidy already has to plan without Patsy Doherty due to a medial ligament injury. He would have been a possible replacement for Muldoon.

Defender Niall McCusker is definitely out with a groin injury, while Sean Marty Lockhart is doubtful with an ankle problem.

Galway footballer Joe Bergin remains hopeful of featuring in their Connacht championship opener against London on Sunday. The Mountbellew-Moylough midfielder is recovering from minor knee surgery.

“I’m going training Tuesday and Thursday and we’ll make a decision at the weekend. Hopefully, it should be okay. The knee was bothering me for the last couple of months but I said I’d wait until the end of the league to get it tidied up.”