O’Mahony returns for Premier County’s clash with Banner

CONOR O’MAHONY returns to the Tipperary lineup for Sunday’s Munster SHC semi-final against Clare in the Gaelic Grounds in the only change from the side that defeated Cork last month. O’Mahony is named at centre-back with Padraic Maher moving to half-back and John O’Keeffe to the full-back line in place of Paddy Stapleton.

Opponents Clare have named three championship debuts in their starting 15. Patrick O’Connor will line out at right half-back while in attack, Cratloe duo Cathal McInerney and Conor McGrath start at left half-forward and left corner-forward respectively. O’Connor and McGrath both lined out for Clare against Tipperary in last summer’s Munster U21 final while McInerney was on the Árd Scoil Rís team that contested last year’s All-Ireland Colleges decider.

In all, manager Ger O’Loughlin has made four changes from last month’s Division 2 league final defeat to Limerick. Philip Brennan returns as goalkeeper instead of Donal Tuohy while James McInerney is selected at centre-back instead of the injured Domhnall O’Donovan. At midfield, Liam Markham makes way with Jonathan Clancy coming out to the middle and Cathal McInerney introduced on the wing. Darach Honan starts in the full-forward line instead of Colin Ryan.

Youghal player Bill Cooper will make his senior championship debut for Cork in Saturday’s All-Ireland qualifier against Laois at centre-forward. Cooper replaces the injured Cian McCarthy, with Tom Kenny returning to midfield instead of the injured Lorcan McLoughlin.

Tomas Brady returns from injury for the Dublin hurlers to his regular full back berth for tomorrow’s Leinster SHC semi-final while in attack Peadar Carton will start at corner forward. The players who lose out are Maurice O’Brien and Daire Plunkett.

Brian Óg McAlary and Barry McGoldrick have been drafted into the Derry team for Sunday’s Ulster SFC semi-final instead of Gerard O’Kane and Emmett McGuckin. Armagh manager Paddy O’Rourke names an unchanged side. Meath attacker Brian Farrell last night failed in his appeal to get the red card he received against Kildare in the Leinster quarter-final overturned.

TIPPERARY (SH v Clare): B Cummins; J O’Keeffe, P Curran, M Cahill; D Young, C O’Mahony, Padraic Maher; G Ryan, S McGrath; S Callanan, N McGrath, Patrick Maher; E Kelly, J O’Brien, L Corbett.

CLARE (SH v Tipperary): P Brennan; P Vaughan, C Cooney, C Dillon; P O’Connor, J McInerney, P Donnellan; N O’Connell, J Clancy; J Conlon, F Lynch, C McInerney; D McMahon, D Honan, C McGrath. Subs: D Tuohy, E Glynn, M Earley, B Bugler, C Chaplin, G Quinn, S Collins, C Ryan, L Markham, C Morey, C O’Donovan.

CORK (SH v Laois): D Óg Cusack; S O’Neill, E Cadogan, S McDonnell; J Gardiner, W Egan, B Murphy; T Kenny, P Cronin; B O’Connor, B Cooper, N McCarthy; L O’Farrell, P O’Sullivan, P Horgan. Subs: A Nash, E Dillon, C O’Sullivan, R Curran, J Nagle, J O’Connor, C Naughton, C McCarthy, M Cussen, J Coughlan, B Corry.

DUBLIN (SH v Galway): G Maguire; N Corcoran, T Brady, O Gough; J McCaffrey, P Kelly, S Durkin; L Rushe, A McCrabbe; C McCormack, R O’Dwyer, C Keaney; P Carton, D O’Callaghan, P Ryan.

DERRY (SF v Armagh): D Devlin; SL McGoldrick, K McCloy, D McBride; B Óg McAlary, C Kielt, M Bateson; J Diver, M Friel; M Lynch C O’Boyle, B McGoldrick; E Muldoon, E Bradley, C Gilligan.

ARMAGH (SF v Derry): P Hearty; A Mallon, B Donaghy, K Dyas; A Kernan, C McKeever, P Duffy; K Toner, C Vernon; T Kernan, BJ Padden, M Mackin; M O’Rourke, S McDonnell, J Clarke.