Mayo boss O’Mahony bides time on Moran call
Moran broke a metacarpal bone in his hand at Mayo training last week but he has been named in the team for Sunday’s game at Croke Park (throw-in 2pm), subject to a late fitness test.
Moran’s inclusion means there is only one change from the team that started in Mayo’s Connacht final victory over Galway – Ballinrobe’s Donal Vaughan coming in at right-corner back for Liam O’Malley.
The parallels with the team picked for that game and the team announced last night centre on doubts over a broken bone to a player. Ronan McGarrity was named – and played – in the Connacht final merely two weeks after sustaining a multiple fracture of his cheekbone in a club championship match but Moran has a smaller window of 12 days in which to recover. A swiftrecovery from a broken hand is not uncommon. Moran’s full-forward colleague Aidan O’Shea played in last year’s All-Ireland Minor final two weeks after breaking a metacarpal bone in the All-Ireland semi-final replay win over Kerry.
Moran returned to non-contact training two days after sustaining the break but hasn’t yet played in a trial game. International Rules player Tom Parsons and the versatile Billy Padden are two players who have been tried at full-forward since Moran picked up his injury and should he not make it back, Parsons, Padden and Conor Mortimer are all likely to be in contention for a starting spot.
Donal Vaughan comes in at corner-back to start his third championship game for Mayo. He replaced Liam O’Malley at half-time in the Connacht final.
Mayo will be aiming to beat Meath in championship for the first time since the All-Ireland Final of 1951. Their last league victory over the Royals was in 2001.
Cork junior football manager Mossie Barrett has been forced into making four changes for Saturday’s All-Ireland JFC semi-final against Louth in Portlaoise at 3pm, due to player unavailability from the side that defeated Clare in the Munster decider.
Cork senior commitments rule out goalkeeper Kevin Murphy, corner-back Michael Prout is out of the county, centre-back Aidan Walsh is ineligible having featured for the Cork seniors in the Munster final win over Limerick while full-forward Ciaran Sheehan is in Australia on trial with AFL outfit Carlton.
St Vincent’s keeper Paddy O’Shea gets the nod to start in goal, Cork U21 star John McLoughlin comes in at left corner-back, Jerry Healy will start at centre-back while St Finbarr’s star Robert O’Mahony will lead the attack at full-forward. Bart Daly, who won an All-Ireland U21 medal with Cork back in May, is one of five new players who have been drafted onto the bench.
The Cork intermediate hurlers have announced an unchanged team for next Saturday’s All-Ireland IHC semi-final tie against Galway (Portlaoise, 5pm). Johnny Keane’s charges emphatically dismissed the challenge of Waterford in the provincial decider and he has opted to stick with the same starting 15. Keane will be hoping that his players in club action over the next few days come through unscathed. Full-forward Luke Farrell featured for Midleton seniors last night, left corner-forward Stephen Moylan plays for Douglas tonight, while Dripsey duo John Carey and Mark O’Sullivan are in championship action tomorrow night.
MAYO (v Meath): K O’Malley; D Vaughan, G Cafferkey, K Higgins; P Gardiner, T Howley, A Moran; D Heaney, R McGarrity; P Harte, T Mortimer, A Dillon; A Kilcoyne, B Moran, A O’Shea.
CORK (JF v Louth): P O’Shea (St Vincents); P Gayer (Castlemagner), E Wiseman (Castletownbere), J McLoughlin (Kanturk); R O’Sullivan (Kinsale), J Healy (Ballydesmond), M Fehily (D O’Mathuna’s); A O’Sullivan (Castletownbere), C O’Donovan (Valley Rovers); D O’Donovan (Kilmacabea), C Keane (Newcestown), C O’Driscoll (Tadgh MacCarthaigh); V Hurley (Courcey Rovers), R O’Mahony (St Finbarrs), JP Murphy (St Vincents).
Subs: L Barry (Donoughmore), C O’Connell (Killavullen), O O’Hanlon (Clyda Rovers), B Daly (Newmarket), S O’Sullivan (Dromtariffe), P Cahill (Glenville), B Dennehy (Kiskeam), N O’Riordan (Glenville), M Murphy (Ballinora)
CORK (IH v Galway): A Nash (Kanturk); B Coleman (Ballyhea), D McSweeney (Blarney), B Murphy (Fr O’Neills); J Carey (Dripsey), R Cashman (Kilbrittain), G O’Leary (Fr O’Neills); E Dillon (Milford), L Desmond (Youghal); R Dwyer (Ballymartle), M O’Sullivan (Dripsey), L McLoughlin (Kanturk); M O’Sullivan (Ballyhea), L Farrell (Midleton), S Moylan (Douglas).
