Limerick put faith in Joyce-Power for Premier showdown
A member of the Ahane club, Joyce-Power, who has yet to celebrate his 19th birthday, is selected at right corner-forward for the provincial first-round tie.
The game will mark the return of Jason Stokes to the inter-county arena after an absence of 12 months.
Named at full-forward, Stokes was sidelined with a recurring groin injury, although he did make some appearances over the course of last season with his club, Dromcollogher.
Tipperary are due to announce their team after training tonight but no injury problems are reported from the Premier County camp.
Galway will be without towering midfielder Joe Bergin for their weekend visit to London to take on the home side in the Connacht SFC.
Bergin underwent micro surgery on a damaged knee three weeks ago and, even though he has returned to the training ground, it’s likely manager Liam Sammon will hold him in reserve.
Team captain Paul Barden lines out at right corner-forward for Longford who take on Wicklow in the first round of the Leinster SFC at Portlaoise on Sunday.
Padraig Berry, Francis McGee, David Barden, Kevin Mulligan and Brian Kavanagh will make up the rest of the forwards.
Damien Sheridan will start in goal, while Declan Reilly, Barry Gilleran, Peter Foy, Diarmuid Masterson, Enda Williams and Shane Mulligan will fill the defensive positions with Ger Dennigan and Kevin Smyth starting at centrefield.
Wicklow introduce two newcomers in Alan Nolan and Padraig McWalter.
Nolan is selected at full back for his first senior championship match, while McWalter is named at right half-back for his championship debut.
Thomas Walsh and James Stafford, both of whom took no part in the league, now form a new midfield partnership.
Roscommon footballers have been hit with a triple blow ahead of their Connacht championship opener on Sunday week.
Experienced midfielder Seamus O’Neill has been ruled out for the season with a ruptured achilles tendon.
The Kilbride club man, a former midfield partner of manager Fergal O’Donnell, is a huge blow to Roscommon as they open their championship campaign away to neighbours Leitrim.
And half-forward Cathal Cregg and defender David Casey have also been ruled out through injury.
“It is a big blow as we have a small squad but it is just something we have to deal with,” said O’Donnell.
“There are a few other players nursing injuries but hopefully they will be okay as we know we face a big test in Carrick-on-Shannon,” said O’Donnell, who leads Roscommon into the senior championship for the first time, having led the county’s minor side to All-Ireland victory three years ago. Offaly hurlers have been dealt a huge blow with stylish wing-back Diarmuid Horan set to miss most of the season. The 21-year-old, just back in action after a hip injury, has decided to take a break from hurling and will spend the summer in the US.
Horan, whose father Pádraig skippered Offaly to their first All-Ireland in 1981, returned to club action two weeks after being out since January with a torn cartilage in his right hip which required surgery in early April.
The St Rynagh’s club man, who has completed the second of four years at DCU where he is studying Athletic Therapy and Training, told manager Joe Dooley two months ago of his intentions.
* Irish Rail will lay on an extra train from Cork to Thurles for the Cork-Tipperary Munster SHC game on Sunday week. The extra train will depart Kent Station, Cork that morning at 11am and serve Mallow (11.22am) and Charleville (11.37am) before arriving in Thurles at 12.20pm.
The extra train will return from Thurles Station at 6.05pm.
Reservations are essential, and rail tickets can be purchased on-line at www.irishrail.ie.
LIMERICK (SF v Tipperary): S. Kiely; S. Gallagher, J. McCarthy. M. O’Riordan; P. Browne, S. Lavin, P. Ranahan; J. O’Donovan; J. Galvin; S. Lucey, I. Ryan, S. Buckley (Capt); C. Joyce-Power, J. Stokes, G. Collins.
LONGFORD (SF v Wicklow): D. Sheridan; D. Reilly, B. Gilleran, P. Foy; D. Masterson, E. Williams, S. Mulligan; G. Dennigan, K. Smyth; P. Berry, F. McGee, D. Barden; P. Barden, K. Mulligan, B. Kavanagh.
WICKLOW (SF v Longford): M. Travers; K. Hylan, A. Nolan, A. Byrne; P. McWalter, D. O’ h-Annaidh, P. Dalton; J. Stafford, T. Walsh; T. Hannon, L. Lyng, J. C. Dalton; L. Odlum, S. Furlong, P. Earls.
