Munster draft in Donaghy for Interpro clash

Kerry's Kieran Donaghy has surprisingly been named in the Munster team for tonight's M Donnelly Interprovincial championship semi-final against Connacht (Ballyforan, throw-in 8pm).

Earlier in the week, it was thought that the Tralee giant would be unavailable to Munster manager Jerry O'Sullivan due to club and International Rules commitments, but he has been slotted in at full-forward for the trip to Roscommon.

Donaghy is one of six players from Kerry's All-Ireland final winning side to be included. There are seven players from Cork and one each from Limerick (Seanie Buckley), Waterford (Gary Hurney) and Tipperary (Paul Fitzgerald).

Kerry dynamo Darragh Ó Sé misses out as he is getting married tomorrow, while his team-mate Colm Cooper and Tipperary talisman Declan Browne, as expected, are unavailable.

Munster last won the Interpro title in 1999, when Kerry defender Seamus Moynihan captained them to a 0-10 to 0-7 defeat of Connacht in the final. They were beaten 2-13 to 0-9 by Ulster in last year's semi-finals.

Cork midfielder Nicholas Murphy captains the 2006 team.

MUNSTER (Interpro SFC v Connacht) - P Fitzgerald (Tipperary); K O'Connor (Cork), M McCarthy (Kerry), T O'Sullivan (Kerry); M Shields (Cork), G Spillane (Cork), A O'Mahony (Kerry); N Murphy (Cork) (capt), T Griffin (Kerry); C McCarthy (Cork), G Hurney (Waterford), S Buckley (Limerick); K O'Sullivan (Cork), K Donaghy (Kerry), MF Russell (Kerry).

Substitutes: D O'Brien (Clare), P O'Neill (Cork), J Galvin (Limerick), G Quinlan (Clare), N Considine (Clare), B Lacey (Tipperary), A Morrissey (Tipperary), S Gallagher (Limerick), W Hennessy (Waterford).