Sherlock gets chance to impress from the off

GAELIC GAMES:Jason Sherlock is back in the Dublin team for Sunday's Leinster football final against Laois - another 82,000 sell out at Croke Park.

It's the first start this summer for the 1995 All-Ireland winner as he's now fully recovered from the wrist injury that limited his role so far to appearing from the bench in the quarter-final against Meath and the semi-final against Offaly.

Sherlock's return to the corner forward position is the only change from the team that beat Offaly by five points - with Tomás Quinn losing out. Quinn has been struggling with his form in Dublin's three games to date and was replaced the last day by Ray Cosgrove.

Bernard Brogan, who was a late replacement for Diarmuid Connolly ahead of the Offaly game, retains his place in the half forward line alongside his brother Alan and team captain Colin Moran. Conal Keaney will start at full forward, with free-taker extraordinaire Mark Vaughan named in the other corner forward position.

Shane Ryan again partners Ciarán Whelan at midfield, and the defence also has a familiar look, with Paul Casey named at right wing back, and Barry Cahill on the left - even though they started on opposite sides against Offaly.

Laois also make one change in personnel from their semi-final win over Wexford, with a couple more positional switches. Peter O'Leary comes into the starting line-up at right half forward in place of Donie Brennan, the player he replaced at half-time the last day.

Colm Parkinson also starts again at left half forward. This means Ross Munnelly and Michael Tierney both move into the full forward line, taking the corner forward positions alongside Paul Lawlor. Brian "Beano" McDonald is still troubled by a back injury.

Brian McCormack will captain the team at left half back alongside Darren Rooney and Pádraig McMahon, with Tom Kelly named at full back despite playing most of the Wexford game at centre back, where he proved so effective.

Monaghan, meanwhile, will start Sunday's Ulster football final against Tyrone with the same team that shocked Derry - although Séamus McEnaney has made some notable positional switches.

In the defence, captain Damien Freeman switches from the right to the left half-back position, most likely to pick up Tyrone captain Brian Dooher. John Paul Mone moves from the half forward line back to midfield - where he joins Eoin Lennon - and so is likely to pick up Seán Cavanagh.

In attack, Shane Smyth and Rory Woods swap roles, with Smyth this time selected at centre forward, and Woods at full forward. Regular centre forward Paul Finley once again misses out on a starting place as he is not yet fully recovered from the viral infection that was picked up in a routine medical just prior to the semi-final clash, and which forced his late withdrawal. Finley has, however, returned to light training and is expected to play some part in the final in Clones.

Elsewhere, the Clare hurlers are set to be without defender Gerry Quinn for the rest of the summer after scans revealed serious damage to his right knee.

The centre back was taken off in the 55th minute of last Saturday's win over Galway and, while initial reports suggested the Corofin man's injury wasn't as serious as was first feared, further tests have confirmed that Quinn has suffered a medial ligament tear in his right knee - and faces up to six weeks on the sideline.

Wexford hurling captain Nigel Higgins has been dropped from the county's senior panel ahead of their quarter-final after arriving late to training last week. Higgins had only just returned to the squad prior to the Leinster final defeat against Kilkenny.

Oulart-the-Ballagh attacker Stephen Doyle has also emerged as a major injury concern ahead of that All-Ireland quarter-final - against either Cork or Tipperary - having picked up an ankle injury playing against the Waterford intermediates last Saturday morning.

DUBLIN(SF v Laois): S Cluxton; D Henry, R McConnell, P Griffin; P Casey, B Cullen, B Cahill; C Whelan, S Ryan; C Moran, A Brogan, B Brogan; J Sherlock, C Keaney, M Vaughan.

LAOIS(SF v Dublin): F Byron; C Ryan, T Kelly, J Higgins; P McMahon, D Rooney, B McCormack; P Clancy, B Quigley; P O'Leary, C Conway, C Parkinson; M Tierney, P Lawlor, R Munnelly.

MONAGHAN(SF v Tyrone): S Duffy; D Mone, V Corey, D McArdle; D Morgan, G McQuaid, D Freeman; E Lennon, J P Mone; D Clerkin, S Smyth, S Gollogly; C Hanratty, R Woods, T Freeman.