Premier starlet Maher set to face Shannonsiders

BRENDAN MAHER will make his starting championship debut for Tipperary in Sunday’s All-Ireland SHC semi-final against Limerick, after being drafted into the team by manager Liam Sheedy last night.

The Borrisoleigh youngster, who came on as a substitute in Tipperary’s three Munster championship ties this summer, will start at left half-back. As a result, Thurles Sarsfields’ PadraicMaher switches to full-back, Paul Curran moves to the left corner, with Conor O’Brien the player to lose out and drop to the bench. The full-back position posed difficulties for Tipperary during the first half of their Munster final triumph over Waterford, with Curran replaced midway through by Brendan Maher and Padraic Maher moving to the problematic full-back position.

Sheedy resisted the temptation to hand the no.3 jersey to former All Star full-back Declan Fanning, with Maher, who won man-of-the-match awards at full-back in the 2006 All-Ireland minor final and the 2008 All-Ireland U21 final, entrusted with the responsibility of manning the edge of the square. Elsewhere John O’Brien and Eoin Kelly have shaken off hamstring and back injuries respectively to take their places in attack.

Opponents Limerick welcome Ollie Moran back into the starting fold for Sunday’s showdown, with the Ahane attacker named at centre-forward by manager Justin McCarthy. Moran’s inclusion sees David Breen move inside to corner-forward, Paul Browne switch out to the wing and Wayne McNamara, who Moran was introduced for in the quarter-final win over Dublin, dropping down to the bench.

Moran’s younger brother Niall has been unable to force his way back into reckoning for the starting line-up despite recovering from the broken finger he sustained against Wexford in the All-Ireland qualifier tie last month. There is one other positional change in the side with Gavin O’Mahony, the scoring star against Dublin, starting at midfield and Seamus Hickey named at right half-back.

Meanwhile the Galway minor side for Sunday’s All-Ireland MHC semi-final against Waterford shows two changes from the starting 15 that thumped Antrim in last month’s quarter-final. Donal Fox comes into the side at centre-back with John Brehony moving to right half-back and Kevin Hussey dropping to the bench. The other alteration sees Shane Moloney introduced at left corner-forward, with David Glennon moving out to midfield and Tadhg Haran the player to make way. Galway will start with seven players who featured in last year’s All-Ireland minor final loss to Kilkenny, as they bid to set up a repeat final showdown with the Cats on September 6.

TIPPERARY SH: B Cummins; P Stapleton, P Maher, P Curran; D Fanning, C O’Mahony, B Maher; J Woodlock, S McGrath; P Kerwick, S Callanan, J O’Brien; N McGrath, E Kelly, L Corbett.

LIMERICK SH: B Murray; D Reale, S Lucey, M O’Riordan; S Hickey, B Geary, M Foley; D O’Grady, G O’Mahony; J Ryan, O Moran, P Browne; D Breen, P McNamara, A O’Shaughnessy.

GALWAY MH: F Flannery; J Coen, D Burke, C Burke; J Brehony, D Fox, J Cooney; J Regan, D Glennon; B Flaherty, N Burke, J Grealish; R Cummins, R Badger, S Moloney.