Mayo selectors hold firm

There will be no change in the Mayo team to face Galway in Sunday's National Football League final at Croke Park. Manager Pat Holmes had some doubts over the fitness of Ronan Loftus and Stephen Carolan but they have recovered from the flu and take their places at full forward and wing forward respectively.

Crossmolina's Michael Moyles, who was involved in a minor car accident but was uninjured, and James Nallen will again start on the bench. Colm McManamon was eligible for selection as his sending off last weekend against Roscommon came from two yellow cards.

Opponents Galway will start with the same team that defeated Sligo last Saturday. Injuries to John Divilly and Joe Bergin have cleared although Padraig Joyce, who was unable to train last night, is still slightly hampered by a knee injury.

In hurling, Tipperary have given the vacant centre back position to John Carroll for their league semi-final with Galway tomorrow evening in Ennis. David Kennedy was forced out through injury, while John Leahy has also been named among the substitutes after picking up a minor knock last weekend.

Young Larry Corbett gets another start at corner forward, and Eoin Ryan, still only 19, again starts at wing forward. Brian O'Meara has sufficiently recovered from his injury to be named among the substitutes.

Meanwhile, Kilkenny manager Brian Cody is gradually starting to strike players off his injured list. Even still, there is just one change in the team that finished against Wexford last weekend for their league semi-final against Clare.

Aidan Cummins is a direct replacement for David Lyng at midfield. Two early substitutions last weekend - Paddy Mulally for the injured Phil Larkin and Stephen Grehan for JP Corcoran - keep their places at wing back and wing forward respectively.

Larkin's hand injury has forced him out of the starting line-up.

The relatively experimental full forward line of David Buggy, Tom Drennan and Jimmy Coogan remains unchanged but they did pick up 013 between them last weekend.

DJ Carey has returned to light hurling following his rib injury, and Charlie Carter is also back training. Still no word, however, on the time and the place of Willie O'Connor's return.

MAYO (SF v Galway): P Burke; R Connelly, K Cahill, A Higgins; F Costello, A Roche, N Connelly; C McManamon, D Brady; J Gill, D McDonagh, S Carolan; M McNicholas, R Loftus, T Mortimer.

GALWAY (SF v Mayo): P Lally; M Comer, K Fitzgerald, M Colleran; D Meehan, J Divilly, S de Paor; M Donnellan, J Bergin; M Clancy, K Comer, L Colleran; D Savage, P Joyce, J Donnellan.

KILKENNY (SH v Clare): J McGarry; M Kavanagh, N Hickey, S Meally; P Mulally, E Kennedy, P Barry; A Comerford, A Cummins; A Geoghegan, J Power, S Grehan; D Buggy, T Drennan, J Coogan.

TIPPERARY (SH v Galway): B Cummins; T Costello, P Maher, P Ormonde; E Corcoran, J Carroll, P Kelly; C Gleeson, Tomas Dunne; M O'Leary, E Enright, E Kelly; L Cahill, D Ryan, L Corbett. Subs: D Rabbitte, P Curran, M Ryan, Terry Dunne, J O'Brien, B O'Meara, E O'Neill, J Leahy, AN Other.