Dempsey beefs up Laois's challenge

TEAM NEWS:LAOIS MANAGER Seán Dempsey has added experience and some much needed physicality to his team as Brendan Quigley, Noel Garvan and Brian McCormack return ahead of their NFL meeting with Cork in Portlaoise on Saturday night.

Donie Brennan and Chris Bergin have been dropped from the attack while Kevin Meaney loses out to the experienced Garvan at midfield.

Quigley will line out at centre forward, with Billy Sheehan moving to the wing and Michael Tierney going into the corner.McCormack is selected at right half-forward with that position’s previous incumbent Peter McNulty also moving to the corner.

Meanwhile, Galway’s perfect start to the NFL will come under threat this weekend as Liam Sammon will have to plan without a host of under-21 players when they face Donegal in Pearse Stadium on Sunday.

Sammon is also manager of the Galway under-21 side which will meet Mayo in the Connacht championship at Charlestown on Saturday.

Senior players such as Paul Conroy, Adrian Faherty, Jonathan Ryan, David Reilly, David Finnegan and Stephen Kavanagh are all due to feature in that contest, leaving Sammon’s options for Sunday’s clash with Donegal limited.

“We have a large and talented squad, but obviously the under-21 game will stretch resources a bit,” said Sammon. “But it would be great to get another two points on Sunday and set ourselves up for the closing games of the league.”

Donegal manager John Joe Doherty has named an unchanged team for the trip to Pearse Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Donegal were pipped at the death by Dublin last week, but there was much to admire about their second-half comeback in woeful conditions in Ballyshannon.

Pat Gilroy has been so impressed with the form of Dublin hurler Ross O’Carroll as Kimacud Crokes’ full back leading up to Tuesday’s All-Ireland club final, that the football manager is considering sharing the player with Anthony Daly this season.

“Yes, if the fella feels that he can do it I would be (interested). We would have to work out the logistics of it and how it would work. One big problem would be that we are due to play the same day in the first round of the championship.

“So that is not going to be the easiest thing to figure out. I don’t have a problem with it, but the logistics of it make it very difficult for anybody to do it. There are such demands.”

In the same breath – well at the same press conference in DCU yesterday – Gilroy paid tribute to his current number three Denis Bastick who is the latest player to be tested in a position that has caused Dublin many problems in recent seasons.

“I think he has been acquitting himself very well. He has marked some of the best forwards in the country over the last four or five weeks. He hasn’t conceded too much directly to those guys.”

Gilroy named the same side that won up in Donegal ahead of Saturday’s match against Derry at Parnell Park. Paul Flynn (ankle), Eamonn Fennell (appendix), Colin Moran (hip), Tomas Quinn, Alan Brogan and Paul Brogan are injured, while several of the Crokes contingent are expected back in the panel next week.

Portumna defender Martin Dolphin has been freed to bid for an unique double next week after the Connacht Colleges hurling final was put back by six days.

Portumna Community School are bidding for their first provincial senior hurling crown, but would be without their star player if the final against Gort Community School went ahead as scheduled next Sunday.

Dolphin has emerged as a top-class defender and is due to play in his first All-Ireland club final when Portumna defend their crown against Waterford’s De La Salle at Croke Park on St Patrick’s Day.

The Leaving Cert student did not feature in the colleges semi-final win over Presentation College Athenry and would have had to sit out the final had it gone ahead next Sunday.

However, the colleges final has now been put back to Saturday week, a decision which has been welcome by Portumna and Galway star Damian Hayes, who coaches Portumna CS along with Tom Brehony.

“It is great that Martin will be able to play in both finals and fair play to all involved. Hopefully, it will be a great week for Portumna,” said the former All-Star who himself will be bidding for his third All-Ireland club medal next Tuesday.

LAOIS(SF v Cork): M Nolan; P Begley, C Ryan, R Stapleton; P O'Leary, D Rooney, P McMahon; P Clancy, N Garvan; B McCormack, B Quigley, B Sheehan; P McNulty, R Munnelly, MJ Tierney.

DUBLIN(SF v Derry): S Cluxton; P Andrews, D Bastick, A Hubbard; J Brogan, G Brennan, B Cahill; C Whelan, R McConnell; D Connolly, C Keaney, D Henry; B Kelly, K Bonner, B Brogan.

DONEGAL(SF V Galway): M Boyle; E McGee, N McGee, P McDaid; E Wade, R Sweeney, K Cassidy; C Bonner, C Toye; B Boyle, C Dunne, R Kavanagh; M Murphy, S Griffin, D Walsh.

CORK(Under-21 F v Kerry): D Farry; S McLoughlan, J O'Sullivan, N Galvin; C O'Driscoll, A Walsh, B Daly; C O'Donovan, K O'Driscoll; C Sheehan, S McCarthy, C O'Driscoll; C O'Neill, D Goold, P Honahan.

CONNACHT(Interpro v Leinster): (Players from Galway unless stated): C Callanan; S Kavanagh, D McClearn, G Mahon; A Coen, B Costello, M Ryan; K Raymond (Sligo), A Cullinane; M Kerins, P Killilea, K Hooban; N Healy, F Healy, A Callanan.