Dubs make four changes for O'Byrne semi-final

Dublin manager Paul Caffrey has made four changes to his team for Saturday's O'Byrne Cup semi-final against Carlow (Parnell Park, throw-in 5pm).

The Dubs' newly-appointed captain Alan Brogan gets a start at left corner forward, while a hamstring injury which Shane Ryan picked up in last weekend's win over Westmeath has prompted Paul Flynn's move to midfield.

2007 All-Star goalkeeper Stephen Cluxton steps back in for John Leonard between the posts and in a third personnel change Philip McMahon is preferred to Derek Murray at right half-back.

McMahon missed out on starting the Westmeath game as he had played earlier that afternoon for Ballymun Kickhams in the Under-21 championship and was duly rested.

Caffrey has also opted to bring in John O'Brien of Round Towers, Clondalkin to lead the attack with Pat Burke dropping to the bench.

Meanwhile, former Dublin senior football panellist David 'Dotsy' O'Callaghan is set to make his first competitive start for the county's senior hurlers since 2004.

Dublin face UCD in a tasty Walsh Cup quarter-final on Sunday and with a number of Dublin players set to line out for the students, including Joey Boland, Ross O'Carroll and Tomas Brady, O'Callaghan's services are likely to be required.

The St. Mark's clubman impressed for the Dublin hurlers during the 2004 championship but had thrown his lot in with the footballers in recent seasons.

He took a break in America last summer and has decided to focus on hurling again. As a member of the Dubs' current 40-man panel, O'Callaghan has "bedded in nicely" according to manager Tommy Naughton.

DUBLIN (O'Byrne Cup v Carlow): S Cluxton; N O'Shea, R McConnell, S O'Shaughnessy; P McMahon, C Moran, P Brogan; P Flynn, E Fennell; D Lally, J O'Brien, B Brogan; J Sherlock, D O'Mahony, A Brogan (capt).

Substitutes: J Leonard, P Casey, D Henry, D Murray, B Cullen, D Ryan, B Kennedy, P Burke.