O Cinneide omitted as Crowley keeps place

CHAMPIONSHIP 2004/Team news: Captain Dara Ó Cinnéide has failed to regain a starting place on the Kerry football team for Sunday's Munster championship clash with Clare.

The Gaeltacht player missed the latter rounds of the National League with a back injury and although he appeared as a substitute in the final win over Galway, John Crowley again gets the nod ahead of him in the full-forward line.

It means manager Jack O'Connor has made just one change from the Galway match, with Darragh Ó Sé restored to one of the midfield berths having missed the last day through suspension. As a result Eoin Brosnan moves back into the half-forward line, and Liam Hassett is the player to miss out.

Aidan O'Mahony also keeps his place in defence ahead of Marc Ó Sé, while Tomás Ó Sé will hold down the captaincy in Ó Cinnéide's absence.

Opponents Clare have named three championship debutants in corner back Kevin Dilleen and forwards Enda Coughlan and Seán O'Meara. Two of the more experienced players were ruled out of the starting line-up, Philip Smith with a knee injury and Michael O'Shea with a hamstring strain.

Roscommon manager Tom Carr has described as "exceptionally well" the preparations for Sunday's Connacht football quarter-final against Sligo. Despite some injury concerns Carr last night named what he deemed as close to a full-strength team, which has just one championship debut in corner forward Ger Heneghan.

Ruled out of the starting line-up for the game at Hyde Park were defenders Ray Cox and Paul Noone, with groin and back injuries respectively. Wing back Morgan Beirne has already been ruled out of the season because of a pending shoulder operation.

Heneghan has been one of the quiet finds of Roscommon's league campaign and will start in the full-forward line alongside Karl Mannion and Frankie Dolan. Wing back John Rogers will make his first championship start although he did appear in the later stages of last summer's memorable qualifier win over Kildare.

Opposing manager James Kearins of Sligo has been able to call on two of his key forwards, Dessie Sloyan and Gerry McGowan, who have recovered sufficiently from knee and collar-bone injuries respectively. Eamonn O'Hara is also back to full fitness after missing much of the league campaign with a groin injury.

Three players make their championship debuts for Sligo - goalkeeper Philip Greene (St John's), right-half back John Martin (St Mary's) and Curry's Gary Maye at midfield.

Adrian Marren (achilles), Dara McGarty (toe) and Padraig Doohan (back) are also back at full fitness despite their recent injury problems.

In Leinster, Offaly manager Gerry Fahy has named the team that started against Down in the National League Division Two final for the meeting with Westmeath at Croke Park, a game to be played as part of a double bill with the Meath-Wicklow tie. Team captain Ciarán McManus will partner James Grennan at midfield with dual player Neville Coughlan, who scored the memorable goal against Down, starting at full forward.

Meanwhile, DJ Carey is still in a race against time to be fit for Kilkenny's defence of the provincial crown against Wexford on June 13th in the Leinster semi-final. Since pre-Christmas, Carey has been struggling with a damaged hamstring, which is now threatening to curtail his involvement in Kilkenny's attempt for a third successive All-Ireland title.

"It's just not 100 per cent yet. I have four weeks, you know, but it's just slow at the moment. I tore it off the bone last October and it seems not to have fully recovered."

Carey has not trained since Kilkenny's disappointing National League campaign stuttered to a halt in the relegation play-offs: "I didn't have to get up to 100 per cent per cent (for the league). It's been a bit different this year but we got more time to play with the clubs so we will go back into serious training for the next three weeks."

This weekend's Leinster championship double-header at Croke Park will be an all-ticket affair, although students and pensioners can pay cash (€10) at the turnstiles. Tickets will be available from 11 a.m. at three outlets near the ground: Matt Talbot Credit Union building beside Fitzgibbon Street Garda Station, Drumcondra Laundrette and an outlet opposite Quinn's Pub, both on the Drumcondra Road. Hogan, Cusack and Canal stand tickets are €20, while children under-14 are €5. Tickets can be booked by credit card by contacting the Leinster Council from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on 0502-82000.

^{KERRY (SF v Clare): D Murphy; T O'Sullivan, M McCarthy, A O'Mahony; T Ó Sé, E Fitzmaurice, S Moynihan; D Ó Sé, W Kirby; P Galvin, D O'Sullivan, E Brosnan; C Cooper, J Crowley, M F Russell.}

^{CLARE (SF v Kerry): D O'Brien; P Gallagher, C Whelan, K Dilleen; N Griffin, B Considine, R Slattery; David Russell, D O'Sullivan; G Quinlan, Denis Russell, O O'Dwyer; C Mullen, E Coughlan, S O'Meara.}

^{ROSCOMMON (SF v Sligo): S Curran; J Nolan, M Ryan, J Whyte; D Casey, F Grehan, J Rogers; S O'Neill, S Lohan; Derek Connellan, N Dineen, G Cox; G Heneghan, K Mannion, F Dolan.}

^{SLIGO (SF v Roscommon): P Greene; N Maguire, P Naughton, B Phillips; J Martin, M Langan, P Gallagher; S Davey, G Maye; K Quinn, M Brehony, E O'Hara; D Sloyan, M McNamara, G McGowan.}

^{OFFALY (SF v Westmeath): P Kelly; S Sullivan, C Evans, S Brady; B Mooney, C Daly, K Slattery; C McManus, J Grennan; P Kelleghan, R Malone, A McNamee; C Quinn, N Coughlan, N McNamee.}