Ryan bows out of intercounty football scene

Long serving Kildare defender Glenn Ryan has announced his retirement from intercounty football at the age of 35.

Ryan made his senior competitive debut for Kildare in 1990 having won a Leinster minor medal the previous year. Ryan won two Leinster senior football medals with Kildare, in 1998 and 2000, the first ending the county's 42-year barren spell without a provincial title.

The Round Towers half back was recognised with All Star awards in 1997 and 1998. Ryan also represented Ireland in the International Rules series.

He battled back from a recurring injury to feature in his last championship this summer. It ended in a double defeat to Offaly and then Derry in the qualifiers.

Ryan is expected to continue playing club football for at least another year.

Meanwhile, Cavan will ratify Donal Keoghan as their new football manager at next Monday's county board meeting.

Keoghan, last year's minor manager, saw off the challenge of former team selectors Damien Cassidy, under Martin McElkennon, and Terry Hyland, under Val Andrews.

It is believed that the football board opted for the relatively inexperienced Keoghan because of the addition of former Armagh selector Paul Grimley to his management team. Julie Davis has been named as the physical trainer. Grimley was a highly respected member of Joe Kernan's backroom team but parted ways with Armagh recently to end a five-year stint as Kernan's right-hand man.

Leinster manager Val Andrews has named a 26-man panel for Saturday's M Donnelly Interprovincial football championship semi-final against Ulster in Breffni Park.

A number of big-name players are unavailable. Only four players from Leinster champions Dublin have been included in the squad as the Dublin county quarter-finals are taking place this weekend. One of the four, Collie Moran, failed to break into Paul Caffrey's team this summer.

However, Andrews has been able to call upon a respectable mix of quality and experience in Conal Keaney, Dermot Earley and Matty Forde.

Ulster manager Brian McEniff has handed debuts to six players. Defenders Barry Owens of Fermanagh, Donegal's Barry Dunnion and Philip Jordan of Tyrone will represent their province for the first time. Also making a first appearance will be Donegal midfielder Neil Gallagher, along with attackers Fergal Doherty (Derry) and Cavan's Seanie Johnston.

Tyrone's Stephen O'Neill will captain the side, and teams up in attack with team-mate Sean Cavanagh and Derry star Paddy Bradley.

McEniff's preparations for the game have been hampered by the unavailability of several players because of club championship commitments, and he is also lacking interprovincial experience on the bench. But he insisted he is happy with the quality that exists within the squad. "I'm very happy with what I have, and I'm sure these players will give their all for Ulster," he said.

• GAA president Nickey Brennan will officially unveil the new €5.7 million stand in O'Connor Park, Tullamore ahead of the Offaly county football final between Rhode and Clara this Sunday.

ULSTER (SF v Leinster): P Hearty (Armagh); A Mallon (Armagh), B Owens (Fermanagh), F Bellew (Armagh); B Dunnion (Donegal), B Monaghan (Donegal), P Jordan (Tyrone); D Gordon (Down), N Gallagher (Donegal); D Clerkin (Monaghan), S Cavanagh (Tyrone), F Doherty (Derry); S Johnston (Cavan), S O'Neill (Tyrone) capt, P Bradley (Derry).

LEINSTER SQUAD: G Connaughton, M Ennis, A Mangan (all Westmeath), A Fennelly, D Rooney, B Quigley, P Clancy (all Laois), J Sheridan, C King (both Meath), K Slattery (Offaly), C Moran, D Lally, C Keaney, B Cahill (all Dublin), J Doyle, D Earley, P O'Neill (all Kildare), M Carpenter, T Walsh (both Carlow), D Clarke (Louth), M Forde, D Kinsella (both Wexford), B Kavanagh, B McElvaney, D Reilly, D Sheridan (all Longford).