O'Grady back to lead Limerick

Donal O'Grady will return from injury to captain Limerick in Sunday's Munster SHC semi-final against Tipperary at the Gaelic Grounds (throw-in 4pm).

O'Grady broke his collarbone in early March and missed the rest of Limerick's Allianz League campaign, including the Division 1B final defeat to Dublin.

The Granagh-Ballingarry clubman is one of two changes to the team that started that game, coming into the side along with corner forward Seanie Tobin.

Conor Allis and Kevin Downes are the players to make way, with O'Grady partnering Paul Browne in midfield, James Ryan moving to centre forward, Seamus Hickey slotting in on the left wing and Tobin is a direct replacement for Downes at top of the left.

Full-forward Declan Hannon is the only player included from the Limerick Under-21 side that lost 2-18 to 2-11 to Tipperary in the Munster U-21 Championship last Friday night.

There are three changes to the starting line-up that Limerick fielded against Tipp in last year's Munster Senior Championship, two of them coming in attack in the form of Hickey and Hannon. Wing back Paudie O'Brien has also been introduced.

The Shannonsiders are gunning for their first win over Tipp in the Championship since 2007, while it could be a third victory on the trot for the Premier county who came out on top when the counties met in 2009 and also last year.

Limerick manager John Allen feels that his charges have learned from last year's defeat when they were 1-16 to 1-9 ahead with a quarter of an hour left, only for Tipp - with their greater experience and strength in depth - to stage a late rally and run out 2-20 to 1-19 winners.

"That is an issue that we didn't close out a number of games last year that we should have closed out, but I think personnel-wise we are in a stronger position this year because we certainly have a number of players that will be disappointed they are not starting against Tipperary," Allen told the Limerick Leader.

"That Tipp game last year was very much a case in point because they had a stronger bench than we had and when they brought in guys they had made significant difference and maybe it was a lack of experience from some of our players.

"I would hope that won't be an issue this year because we more or less have a clean bill of health and we are a year further down the line and we will have 15 experienced players on the field at the end of the game."

LIMERICK (SHC v Tipperary): Nickie Quaid; Stephen Walsh, Richie McCarthy, Tom Condon; Paudie O'Brien, Wayne McNamara, Gavin O'Mahony; Paul Browne, Donal O'Grady (capt); David Breen, James Ryan, Seamus Hickey; Graeme Mulcahy, Declan Hannon, Seanie Tobin.