Dublin manager Tom Carr has named the same team that beat Kildare in the quarter-final for their National Football League semi-final clash with Armagh at Croke Park on Sunday.
However, there were still some lingering doubts about the fitness of two Dublin players last night. Under something of a cloud were former Leitrim player Declan Darcy, who has been named in his normal centre forward position, and centre back Ian Robertson. Darcy is recovering from a knee injury while Robertson recently sustained a groin injury.
Dublin county board secretary John Costello was upbeat about the situation last night. "The two players have trained without difficulty during the week. The selectors have named them in the team, which is unchanged from that which beat Kildare convincingly. I believe that Dublin can win this league and go on with that under their belts to the Leinster championship. The future of Dublin football is bright," he said. Nevertheless, Dublin can feel confident that even if they are forced to field without the two players, they can still call on such tried and trusted players as Paddy Moran, Paddy Christie, Keith Galvin, Brian Stynes and Dessie Farrell.
Armagh's bid for a place in the final rests on the fitness or otherwise of their two top scorers. Diarmuid Marsden, their top scorer and free-taker, would be a huge loss to the side should he not recover from the groin strain which he sustained in the Railway Cup match against Munster in Killarney three weeks ago. The injury forced him to miss the quarter-final clash with Sligo last Sunday week and constant treatment since that game has only resulted in a slow improvement. The selectors, in the circumstances, have decided that a final decision on his fitness will not be made until the last minute.
Their problems have been increased in that their other main free-taker, Cathal O'Rourke, injured an ankle during the first half of the match against Sligo. He was given treatment at half-time in Longford and re-started after halftime, but was forced to retire less than seven minutes later. He too has been under intensive medical treatment. Armagh are the only side among the four semi-finalists who have not won either an All-Ireland or a National League title and that will, surely, provide them with an added incentive to advance in the competition and should attract their supporters in big numbers.
In a double bill at Croke Park, Dublin-Armagh gets under way at 3.30, while the Cork-Meath semifinal throw-in is at 2.0.
Dublin (SF v Armagh) - D Byrne; P Moran, S Ryan, P Christie; P Curran, I Robertson, K Galvin; E Sheehy, C Whelan; J Gavin, D Darcy, B Stynes; R Cosgrove, D Farrell, N O'Donoghue.
