Strong Galway team to take on Cats

Aidan Harte, Jonathan Glynn and Davy Glennon have forced their way into the Galway team for Sunday's Allianz Hurling League Division 1A duel with Kilkenny at Pearse Stadium (throw-in 2pm).

The trio all played in last weekend's Interprovincial Hurling semi-final win for an all-Galway Connacht side over Leinster, with Glennon coming off the bench to score a goal.

In all, manager Anthony Cunningham has called on nine of the starters from last September's All-Ireland SHC final replay defeat to Kilkenny.

The full-back line of Johnny Coen, Kevin Hynes and Fergal Moore is the only line that remains intact. Fergal Flannery replaces Colm Callanan in goal and suspended duo Andy Smith and Cyril Donnellan are among the notable absentees.

Of course, Cunningham is without a number of St. Thomas' All-Ireland club-tied players, including David Burke and James Regan who started that replay loss to the Cats.

But regulars Niall Donoghue and David Collins will fill the wing back berths, Iarla Tannian will have the aforementioned Harte for company at centre-field and Niall Burke, Joe Canning and Damien Hayes will be gunning for revenge up front.

Speaking after guiding Connacht past Leinster last Sunday, Cunningham said: "That’s what we want, competition for places, everyone fighting for a starting place. We’ll be looking for all those players to be pushing hard to start.

“It’s not good enough that they’re on the panel, we want them pushing to get on the first 15 and that will put a lot of pressure on the guys who weren’t here today.

"We know though that effort and that performance won’t be enough to beat Kilkenny next Sunday and that’s our biggest focus now, looking forward to that in Pearse Stadium.”

GALWAY (NHL v Kilkenny): Fergal Flannery; Johnny Coen, Kevin Hynes, Fergal Moore; Niall Donoghue, Joseph Cooney, David Collins; Iarla Tannian, Aidan Harte; Jonathan Glynn, Niall Burke, Davy Glennon; Niall Healy, Joe Canning, Damien Hayes.