Gaelic Games News: Kilkenny manager Brian Cody has brought Pat Tennyson in at right-half forward for Sunday's All-Ireland hurling quarter-final against Clare at Croke Park after Conor Phelan was ruled out with a broken thumb.
Phelan sustained the injury in Kilkenny's under-21 Leinster championship triumph over Wexford last week. Tennyson sees off the challenge of John Hoyne who started against Wexford and made a goal-scoring appearance from the bench against Galway.
Clare will not be naming a team until the weekend, although this is subject to change after tonight's training session. Crucially, Brian Lohan is out with a recurrence of his troublesome hamstring injury but Gerry Quinn is back in the panel after a disciplinary matter was resolved.
Limerick football manager Liam Kearns will also hold off on naming a side until Saturday morning to face Derry, as his panel will not meet up again until tomorrow night. Midfielder John Quane's shoulder injury is the main concern.
It's less clear cut for Donegal, who are sweating on the availability of several key players ahead of their fourth round football qualifier against Fermanagh. Damien Diver is the main worry after he pulled his hamstring playing for his club Ard na Ratha last weekend. Christy Toye's (shoulder) is also a doubt, while Kevin Cassidy (knee) may not be match fit after a long lay-off. However, the 2002 All-Star wing back did play 70 minutes for his club, Gweedore, in a league match last Sunday.
The wing back slot is becoming increasingly problematic, as Eamon McGee has been put off the panel for disciplinary reasons. If Cassidy fails to impress the management sufficiently, either Karl Lacy or Barry Dunnion will step in. Donegal will select tonight along with Derry, Westmeath and Fermanagh.
Meanwhile, London have withdrawn from Saturday's Tommy Murphy Cup tie against Clare, giving John Kennedy's team a bye to the semi-final of the tournament where they will face Louth. The competition, which was set up to give the weaker counties something to play for at this stage of the year, has become a fiasco with only four teams now taking part. Clare PRO Des Crowe was adamant last night that they wanted to fulfil the fixture.
"The match was initially supposed to be played in Ennis but London requested that it be switched. We agreed but were unable to get flights out. Then yesterday (Tuesday) it was suggested that it be played in Dublin (at noon in Parnell Park) but at about 2 o'clock today London pulled out completely."
London's county board chairman Larry O'Leary also expressed his regret that they could not take part, sighting an inability to arrange a trip to Dublin at such short notice. Also, manager John McFarland is on holidays while his assistant Maurice Somers is also unavailable.
"Unfortunately it was not feasible to get to Parnell Park. If Croke Park were to come back with another time for the fixture we would be keen to play but we would need notice.
"We would like to participate as it is a competition for the weaker counties," continued O'Leary "but it is an awkward time of year. We held up announcing our club championship fixtures until the time and date was announced on Monday night and planned to hold two hurling championship games either side of the match in Ruislip. Also, three players put their holidays back to be available."
The injury-struck Tipperary minor hurling team to play Dublin in Saturday's All-Ireland quarter-final in Dr Cullen Park shows five changes, including captain Richie McGrath, and a number of positional switches from the side which lost to Cork in the Munster final.
KILKENNY (SH v Clare): J McGarry; J Ryall, N Hickey, T Walsh; R Mullally, P Barry, JJ Delaney; D Lyng, K Coogan; M Comerford (capt), H Shefflin, P Tennyson; E Brennan, DJ Carey, J Coogan.
ANTRIM (SH v Cork): D Quinn; M Kettle, K Kelly, B Herron; M McCambridge, K Keegan, J Campbell; J Connolly, C Herron; M Herron, C McGuckian (capt), L Richmond; L Watson, P Richmond, B McFall.
DUBLIN (MH v Tipperary): P Curtin; M McGarry, T Brady, J McCaffrey; T Diamond, W Lowry, I Fleming; D Webster, F Rabbitte; K O'Reilly, J Duffy, E Moran; P Carton, J Boland, A McCrabbe
