All-Ireland League Division One: Team news

DLSP

DLSP will be without Declan O'Brien, out for the last month following an operation on a chipped bone in his knee. Romanian full back Mhiori Vioreanu is also out while there will be a medical report required to determine whether Tony Giles will be fit to face Ballymena.

St Mary's

Malcolm O'Kelly is away on holidays and therefore unavailable. Given that he is to play for the Barbarians on Saturday week, he may miss St Mary's first three games. Dave Clare (back), Ross Doyle (Achilles tendon), John McWeeney (shoulder) and Peter Coyle (shoulder) are out injured. Emmet Byrne is named but is bothered by back trouble and will have a fitness test later in the week. Jock O'Connor stands by.

ST MARY'S: P McKenna; D Hickie, G Gannon, M McHugh, A Conboy; E Hekenui, E McCormack; N Foxe, P Smyth, E Byrne; D Griffin, F Fitzgerald; T Brennan, V Costello (capt), K Jennings.

Young Munster

Munsters are hoping that Peter Clohessy, who returns from a family holiday, may answer the call to play in the probable absence of prop Mick Fitzgerald who is rated doubtful after injuring his leg in Sunday's Munster Senior Cup final defeat by Shannon.

Clontarf

The north Dublin club have no injury concerns but their poor performance in losing the Leinster Senior Cup final to Terenure suggests some intensive training sessions this week. New Zealand second row Ben Geffing should be available after his registration was cleared by the IRFU.

Buccaneers

Darren Yapp returns to the Buccaneers team for their game against Clontarf. The Connacht wing missed last Saturday's provincial cup final against Galwegians. Number eight Craig Brownlie returns to his old stomping ground and his former team-mates.

BUCCANEERS: R Lee; D Yapp, G Austin, P Whitaker, M Walker; E Molloy, C Keane; J Screene, J McVeigh, M Cahill; C Rigney, K Barrett; I Dillon, C Brownlie, E Brennan.

Shannon

Shannon's international trio, John Hayes, Anthony Foley and Peter Stringer, will be available for selection, though on the performance of some of the young players in the Munster Cup final their presence against Garryowen on Saturday is not guaranteed. Mick Galwey is also vying for a starting role having come on as a replacement.

Garryowen

New recruit New Zealander Steve Mackay has been included in the squad for Saturday's Limerick derby. The winger will link up with the club's five contracted players, Killian Keane, Tom Tierney, Dominic Crotty, David Wallace and Jeremy Staunton, all of whom are expected to be available.

Old Crescent

Prolific points scorer Brian Begley is a major doubt with a leg injury. He did not play last weekend. Sean Madigan dislocated an elbow against Constitution and the club are awaiting a definitive medical report on his condition.

Blackrock

Brian O'Driscoll will definitely be absent, having taken a week off prior to playing for the Barbarians against South Africa on Saturday week. Blackrock will be without Leinster prop Gary Halpin who is in America, being inducted into the Hall of Fame at New York University for previous athletics exploits. Wing David Johnson will be missing with a hamstring injury.

Galwegians

Technically second-row Mark McConnell was available to Galwegians for last Sunday's cup final having got the all-clear following a back scan during the week, but coach John Kingston decided to leave him out of the 21 for that match. Kingston will make a decision later in the week on the player's fitness for Saturday's match. Bumps and bruises but no one ruled out.

Dungannon

Dungannon will be without internationals Tyrone Howe and Jonathan Bell, both of whom are injured, while there is a doubt about former Ulster scrumhalf Stephen Bell who lasted just 20 minutes of the Ulster Cup final defeat by Belfast Harlequins. He retired with a calf problem. Ryan Constable is a likely absentee as he is expected to attend Australian international centre Daniel Herbert's wedding in Oz.

Lansdowne

Reggie Corrigan has not recovered from a leg injury sustained while playing for Leinster against Northampton at Donnybrook and may be sidelined for another couple of weeks. Gabriel Fulcher is unavailable because of work commitments while Aidan McCullen has been out of action for three weeks and may only make the bench. Scrumhalf David O'Mahony has ankle ligament damage so Shane Whelan starts at scrumhalf. Mark Woods (groin) and Gordon D'Arcy (ankle) have overcome injuries.

LANSDOWNE: G D'Arcy; L O'Brien, G Hamilton, S Horgan, R Dolan; M Woods, S Whelan; E Bohan, O Ennis, A McKeen; S O'Connor, G Quinn; S Rooney, C McEntee (capt), L Toland.

Terenure

Terenure will be able to call on the services of scrumhalf Derek Hegarty and number eight Eric Miller for the short trip to Lansdowne. They missed the Leinster Cup final, Hegarty in Dubai, Miller rested. Coach Kevin Putt must decide whether to start at scrumhalf or defer to Hegarty. Girvan Dempsey will be out until after Christmas.

Cork Constitution

The club's main concern centres on Munster wing Anthony Horgan who sustained a rib injury while playing for Ireland A against South Africa at Thomond Park. The international trio of Ronan O'Gara, Brian O'Meara and Frankie Sheehan returned from a week's holiday last night and are available.

Belfast Harlequins

Sheldon Coulter, who had not played since Ulster's final inter-provincial match against Connacht because of injury, returns at outside centre. Chris McCarey, on duty with Ireland in the Sevens tournament in Dubai, comes in at number eight. Those are the two changes from the side that won the Ulster Cup final at the weekend.

Belfast Harlequins: P Hancock; R Collins, S Coulter, B Dick, R Morrow; N Malone, A Matchett; S Best, R Weir, C Boyd; K Rabie, A Robinson; G O'Loan, C McCarey, N Best.