Team Check: Geary fit for Limerick

Limerick SH

Two players will make championship debuts against Cork in Pairc Ui Chaoimh on Sunday as Limerick look for their first championship victory since 1997 when they beat Waterford in the first round of the Munster championship.

Goalkeeper Tim Houlihan and half forward Paul O'Grady get their first championship start under manager Eamonn Cregan.

The side also includes key members of last year's All-Ireland winning under-21 side. Of those, Brian Geary passed a fitness test and takes his place at left corner back.

The experienced Ciaran Carey is back in his familiar berth at centre back. Dual player Brian Begley takes the full forward position alongside captain Barry Foley and Johnny Butler.

TJ Ryan at full back is one of just four players who remain from the team that lost the 1996 All-Ireland final to Wexford - the others being Carey, Stephen McDonagh and Mark Foley.

Limerick (SH v Cork): T Houlihan; S McDonagh, TJ Ryan, B Geary; C Smith, C Carey, M Foley; M O'Brien, J Moran; P O'Grady, O Moran, M Keane; J Butler, B Begley, B Foley.

Dublin SF

The Dublin football selectors appeared to run into some problems on Tuesday night when deciding the line-up for Sunday's game against Longford at Croke Park. Originally it was announced that they would give Jonathan Magee a late fitness test on his leg injury before deciding whether he would start at centre back, and as a result a vacancy was left in the position.

Later in the night the selectors decided they wouldn't gamble on Magee's fitness, and even though the team had been released to the print and radio media, a new team line-up was selected.

In the revised team Paul Curran is given the centre back role and Tom Lynch comes in at half back. Magee, meanwhile, is named among the substitutes, as is former goalkeeper and current selector John O'Leary.

Dublin (SF v Longford): S Cluxton; M Cahill, P Christie, C Coggins; T Lynch, P Curran, P Andrews; C Whelan, D Homan; E Sheehy, J Sherlock, S Connell; N O'Donoghue, D Farrell, W McCarthy. Subs: J O'Leary, M Casey, S Ryan, J Magee, J Gavin, D Darcy, C Moran, V Murphy, AN Other.

Down SF

Alan Molloy has been named at midfield on the team to face Cavan at Casement Park on Sunday despite having an ankle injury. He was carried off the training field last Sunday and the injury was put in a cast until Friday, but manager Pete McGrath has decided to gamble on Molloy's fitness, and he will partner Brian Burns at midfield.

Corner back John Clarke will make his championship debut, as will corner forward Ronan Murtagh. But Shane Mulholland has not recovered from a hamstring injury and is named among the substitutes.

Veteran forward Mickey Linden also misses out on a starting place, with Liam Doyle, Michael Walsh and Aidan O'Prey making up the half-forward line and Murtagh, Benny Coulter and Shane Ward the full-forward line.

In total there are eight changes to the team that suffered the shock defeat to Antrim in last summer's championship. Gone from that team are defenders Finbar Caulfield, Paul Higgins, Malachy McMurray and Paul Shields, midfielder Gregory McCartan, along with Mulholland, Linden and Ciaran McCabe.

Down (SF v Cavan): M McVeigh; J Clarke, C Byrne, B Grant; S Poland, M Magill, B Kearney; B Burns, A Molloy; L Doyle, M Walsh, A O'Prey; R Murtagh, B Coulter, S Ward. Subs: P Travers, P Shields, M McMurray, K McGrath, S Mulholland, M Linden, C Daly, P McConville, P Bradley, (K Oakes, J Lavery, K O'Hara).

Tyrone Under-21F

Six players involved in Tyrone's Ulster championship win over Armagh last weekend will start in Saturday's rescheduled under-21 provincial final against Fermanagh in Clones.

Michael McGee and Brian McGuigan, both substitutes last Sunday, get starting places while Cormac McAnallen takes his familiar berth at midfield. Eoin Mulligan and Stephen O'Neill, who scored 1-5 between them last Sunday, line out at corner forward and centre forward respectively, while Kevin Hughes is named at full forward.

Tyrone (Under-21F v Fermanagh): P McConnell; G Devlin, M McGee, P Jordan; C Meenagh, C Gormley, P O'Neill; P Donnelly, C McAnallen; R Mellon, B McGuigan, S O'Neill; E McGinley, K Hughes, E Mulligan.

Fermanagh Under-21F

The Fermanagh side will include three of the senior team that beat Donegal last weekend - Martin McGrath, Barry Owens and Ryan McCloskey. The final was deferred from the original April 14th date because of the foot-and-mouth crisis.

Fermanagh (Under-21F v Tyrone): S Boyle; S Lyons, K Gunn, R McCloskey; C Monaghan, N Keenan, N Cunningham; M McGrath, B Owens; S McCabe, R McCabe, C McElroy; A Little, M Little, B McBrien.