Galwey fails to win Shannon place>BR>

EVEN though skipper David Quinlan is ruled out by injury, Mick Galwey has still failed to win a place in Shannon’s starting line-up for today’s key AIB League encounter with Cork Constitution at Thomond Park.

Instead, Shannon welcome back Brian Buckley for his first game of the season after he had been laid low by a serious bout of pneumonia. Buckley takes over from Tom Hayes who in turn reverts to number eight in place of injured skipper David Quinlan.

Four other Munster panel members, Eddie Halvey and Colm McMahon in the back-row, hooker James Blaney and winger Mossy Lawler are included in the Shannon side which sees Tony Buckley coming in for his first AIL start in the front-row.

hannon have already lost three matches in the league, against St Mary’s in Dublin but rather surprisingly against Galwegians and Clontarf at Thomond Park where they have traditionally been so strong over the years.

Constitution, no doubt, will derive some confidence from that statistic and also from the fact that Anthony Horgan has been released by Munster for this game because of his lack of match opportunities in recent weeks. The redhead will certainly add punch to a Con back line that includes Dave O’Brien at full-back and perhaps most crucially of all, Brendan Ronan, returning at out-half where his presence was badly missed in the back to back defeats by Garryowen and Lansdowne.

Mick O’Driscoll partners Ultan O’Callaghan in the second-row as John Fogarty faces up to a head to head against James Blaney, with whom he has been waging a season long duel for understudy to Frankie Sheahan with Munster.

Given their recent disappointing results, both coaches, Geoff Moylan and Chris Cantillon, see this as “a must win” opportunity to kickstart their ailing seasons.

Another big game in Limerick sees Garryowen up against a full-strength Galwegians side at Dooradoyle tomorrow. ’Wegians coach Kevin Dinneen has all his contracted Connacht players at his disposal with the result that more than one will start the game on the bench!

Martin Uijs and Jerry Flannery contest the hooking berth, as they have done for Connacht all season, while skipper Barry Gavin is under pressure for a back-row spot against players of the quality of Johnny O’Connor, Eric Peters, Mike Swift and Johnny Muldoon. Leaders Blackrock College look a good bet against bottom of the table Terenure College at Stradbrook this afternoon when Dungannon and Ballymena battle it out in their usual post-Christmas battle at Stephenson Park.

CORK CONSTITUTION: D. O’Brien; D. Dillon, R. O’Donovan, Cian Mahony, A. Horgan; B. Ronan, P. McCarthy; I. Murray, J. Fogarty, M. Ross, M. O’Driscoll, U. O’Callaghan, J. Murray, J. Sheahan, F. Cogan.

SHANNON: J. Lacey; N. McNamara, A. Thompson, E. Cahill, M. Lawler; D. Delaney, F. O’Loughlin; F. Roche, J. Blaney, T. Buckley, B. Buckley, T. Hogan, E. Halvey, C. McMahon, T. Hayes.

GARRYOWEN: W. Treacy; D. O’Riordan or R. Niland, D. O’Sullivan, D. Crotty, K. O’Riordan; J. Staunton, A. O’Sullivan; S. Kerr, P. Humphreys, R. Laffan, D. Sheehan, D. Fitzgibbon, C. Hartigan, C. Varley, J. O’Sullivan.

Today, AIB League divisione one, Belfast Harlequins v UCD; Blackrock v Terenure; Clontarf v Lansdowne; Co Carlow v St Marys; Dungannon v Ballymena; Shannon v Cork Constitution. Tomorrow, Garryowen v Galwegians. All games 2. 30.