Ryan back for Dublin

CHAMPIONSHIP 2002/All-Ireland SF semi-final countdown: Shane Ryan is back in the Dublin team for Sunday's All-Ireland football semi-final against Armagh. Colin Moran failed to sufficiently recover from the leg injury picked up late in the quarter-final replay with Donegal, and manager Tommy Lyons last night gave Ryan the vacant place at left half forward.

Otherwise the team which beat Donegal by 10 points remains unchanged, meaning Dessie Farrell again starts at left corner forward. Farrell himself had been suffering from a shoulder injury picked up in the Donegal match and although he too had been avoiding hard training since, Lyons was satisfied last night with his recovery.

It was expected that Jason Sherlock would return to the starting line-up should Farrell fail to put his injury behind him - thus giving his Na Fianna club mate his first championship start since last summer's All-Ireland quarter-final replay against Kerry.

Instead, Sherlock is once again starting on the bench, from where he made notable appearance in the Leinster final win over Kildare, and for both games with Donegal.

Opponents Armagh have also made one change from the side that started against Sligo in their quarter-final replay, with Paddy McKeever back in his original position at right half forward.

Though McKeever was listed to start there the last day, he was replaced shortly before the throw-in by Barry O'Hagan.

With McKeever back in position, it means manager Joe Kernan has now reverted to the selection that originally drew with Sligo.

Ryan's re-introduction is hardly surprising considering his consistent appearance in the Dublin half-forward line - most notably at centre forward - prior to the replay. He also replaced Moran against Donegal when the dead leg injury that rules the Ballyboden player out of Sunday's game first occurred.

Though the general perception is that the 10-point win over Donegal produced Dublin's best performance of the summer, the manager himself disagrees.

"The day against Meath we were at our best," says Lyons. "Our season hung on that game, and if we'd been beaten by Meath again I don't think the back door would have been any use to us.

"I just don't think Dublin would have been capable of coming through the back door if they'd been beaten by Meath. It would have been eight years without a win against them and, psychologically, the team would have gone down.

"So we're very happy to have come through this way. We have had some up and down performances, because I think we were poor against Kildare and poor against Donegal the first day. But beating Meath that day has been our best performance by a mile."

The fact the Dublin last played Armagh in the championship 25 years ago won't mean the teams are complete strangers to each other.

"Sure we know enough about Armagh," says Lyons. "Some of their best footballers play in the Dublin club scene, and we know how good they are. We're hearing a lot of talk about Ray Cosgrove, but Oisin McConville would be in the same bracket as far as I'm concerned. He's blossomed as well in the last 12 months."

Lyons also dismisses any suggestion that Dublin may have become over-reliant on Cosgrove for goals.

"What usually happens when teams watch one player is that someone else comes out of the pack. I couldn't tell you who they'll be, but I know we'll need two or three guys who maybe didn't perform the last day, and maybe weren't raved about the last day, to perform for us on Sunday."

It was announced yesterday that Cork's Michael Collins will referee Sunday's All-Ireland SFC semi-final between Dublin and Armagh.

DUBLIN (SF v Armagh): S Cluxton; B Cahill, P Christie, C Coggins; P Casey, J Magee, P Andrews; C Whelan, D Magee; S Connell, J McNally, S Ryan; A Brogan, R Cosgrove, D Farrell.

ARMAGH (SF v Dublin): B Tierney; E McNulty, J McNulty, F Bellew; A O'Rourke, K McKeeney, A McCann; J Toal, P McGrane; P McKeever, J McEntee, O McConville; S McDonnell, R Clarke, D Marsden.