Portlaoise duo return for Laois

Laois manager Liam Kearns has been forced to make two changes to his side for tomorrow's All-Ireland SFC third round qualifier against Derry (Breffni Park, throw-in 7pm), after key defender Darren Rooney and attacker Brian 'Beano' McDonald both failed to recover from injury in time for the game.

A major doubt hung over the availability of Rooney this week after he sustained cruciate ligament damage during the Leinster SFC final loss to Dublin less than a fortnight ago.

Rooney sought a second opinion from surgeon Ray Moran, after initial scans had highlighted the damage, but the medical expert failed to alleviate the dual star's worries and confirmed that indeed serious damage had been done.

Meanwhile, although McDonald is recovering from a bruised leg after being kicked by a horse, it is expected that the thoroughbred breeder may play a part in tomorrow's game after taking a full role in training this week.

There is good news for defender Aidan Fennelly, who replaces Rooney in the side. The UCD student has failed to make an appearance for Laois since he sustained an injury in their Leinster quarter-final tie against Longford but he has made a full recovery in recent weeks.

His Portlaoise club-mate Kevin Fitzpatrick also comes into the side in place of McDonald. The versatile player has lined out in both defence and attack in the past and he will add some strength to the full-forward line - a clear response to recent criticisms of manager Kearns that Laois were lacking in this department.

Meanwhile, forward Barry Brennan has opted to withdraw from the O'Moore county panel after a spate of recent injuries.

The Graiguecullen attacker lined out for his club in a recent challenge match but was forced to withdraw after 10 minutes after aggravating an old injury.

Tomorrow's game will be the third time that Laois and Derry have met in the SFC qualifiers in recent years, with Derry winning by a goal at Breffni Park in 2001, while Laois reversed the result in 2005 thanks to a 1-11 to 0-11 victory at Croke Park.

LAOIS (SFC v Derry) - F Byron; A Fennelly, C Ryan, J Higgins; P McMahon, T Kelly, B McCormack; P Clancy, B Quigley; P O'Leary, P Lawlor, C Parkinson; MJ Tierney, K Fitzpatrick, R Munnelly.