Sutcliffe ‘mad for road’ and likely to figure for Dubs

Anthony Daly says Danny Sutcliffe will be given every chance at training this evening to prove his fitness for Sunday’s Leinster final.

Sutcliffe, an All Star last year and Dublin’s best performer in the league, missed the semi-final win over Wexford due to a broken hand.

The St Jude’s man is almost certain to be included in the matchday panel after he was given good news from a consultant after taking a small part in two training sessions over the weekend.

“The fracture has healed up fairly well,” said Daly at an Etihad press event yesterday evening. “We’ll probably play a bit of a game and see if he’ll be able for it.

“I’d say he’ll be in the 26. He could play some part. Whether that’s a full part, tomorrow (Tuesday) night and Friday night will decide that. He’s a huge player for us, obviously.

“He’s mad for road. He’d tell you he’s fine. He goes full out. That’s the way he plays. You’d nearly have to hold him back.”

The news is not so good for goalkeeper Gary Maguire whose broken thumb rules him out of the game. Alan Nolan will replace him. “He’s only into see the specialist next Wednesday week so he’s out.

“Hopefully the cast or the plaster of Paris, he’s in this thing that stops him from training... hopefully that comes off on Wednesday week and then he can go back into training.

“I suppose he’ll have to build it up and then it depends on where we are at, whether we’re on a five week break or the qualifier route.

“(Alan) Noley’s not a greenhorn at this stage. He’s played in a lot of big games now at this stage. He’s mad for this. He’s bursting to get his chance for ages. Going by him in training, he’s very sharp.”

After dislocating his shoulder against Wexford, Mark Schutte is also unavailable for the weekend. “Mark is out, he’s still in a sling. Mark will be out until we get to the semi. I don’t think he’d be in consideration for a quarter-final if that’s the route. It’s immobilised completely but no surgery, it’s one of those ones they think they can get right with manipulation and physio and that.”

Liam Rushe’s hamstring has caused little or no trouble to the centre-back since he came through the entirety of the Wexford game. Ryan O’Dwyer, meanwhile, has made a full recovery after an eye infection prior to the Wexford game.

“Neither Liam nor Ryan O’Dwyer should have played but we felt Wexford had a lot of things in their favour. We felt we’d probably be going in very understrength if we didn’t go with them but Liam in particular is fine, he’s after playing every session flat out.

“Once he had no reaction that night he was away, sort of, and finished strong enough in Wexford. He didn’t have a great game but finished strong enough and was getting into the last 10-15 minutes.

“He’s been going well in training since. Ryan was sick, we had to stop the bus twice on the way back from Wexford he was that sick, he was frozen.

“He shouldn’t have played, he couldn’t do himself justice and he was in bed for nearly the full week after.”