True blues get their chance to impress

GAELIC GAMES: This Sunday's annual Dublin Blue Stars football and hurling challenges are likely to provide the county's respective senior managers with some contrasting ideas about drawing up their league and championship panels for the coming season.

For Tommy Lyons, the football challenge is the first real opportunity to make some minor additions or alterations to his panel that last July won Dublin's first Leinster title in seven years. For Marty Morris, the new Dublin senior hurling manager, it will be the first real opportunity to simply begin deciding on a panel.

The event is now in its 13th year and returns again to the Thomas Davis club on Kiltipper Road in Tallaght. Both challenges (the hurling at 12.45, the football at 2.15) are made up of the best senior club performers in Dublin during the 2002 (the Blue Star team) against the remaining county selections.

Already the Dublin hurling team is showing the new influence of Morris. The former O'Tooles manager has called up last year's minor full back Cormac O'Brien and centre back Ronan Fallon, while his own clubman Philip Brennan, who played at corner back for Dublin last year, is named at right half forward.

Another new addition is Sean O'Shea, part of last year's Dublin under-21 side. Tom Holdan and Andy Browne are also given their chances respectively at right corner forward and centre back.

Lyons has called up minor centre back Bryan Cullen (to play at centre forward) and under-21 corner back Paul Griffin (who will play in the left corner).

Last year's event was also notable as the first true showing of Eoin Bennis's GAA talents, and though he never made the step up to championship standards last year, Lyons displays his faith by again starting him in his forward line.

Incidentally, Dublin chairman John Bailey has promised to make a surprise announcement between the two games, which he states will help to ensure further growth for the GAA in Dublin - and is expected to be the confirmation that Dublin's opening NFL game against Armagh will be played in Croke Park.

Elsewhere the GAA action this weekend focuses on the O'Byrne Cup in Leinster and revived McKenna Cup in Ulster. Four opening games are scheduled in the O'Byrne Cup, with Laois against Longford (Portlaoise, 2.0), Wicklow v Carlow (Aughrim, 2.0), Louth v Westmeath (Drogheda, 2.0) and Kilkenny v Wexford (Skeoghvosteen, 1.0). Much of the attention will fall on Portlaoise where Mick O'Dwyer starts his latest role as Laois manager. The McKenna Cup game between Fermanagh and Tyrone takes place at Enniskillen (2.0).

DUBLIN (SF v Blue Stars): S Cluxton (Parnells); B Cahill (St Brigid's), D Cahill (St Brigid's), P Griffin (Kilmacud Crokes); M Breathnach (Thomas Davis), C Goggins (Ballinteer St Johns), P Andrews (St Brigid's); D Homan (Ballyboden SE), E Crennan (St Judes); C Moran (Ballyboden SE), B Cullen (Skerries Harps), E Bennis (Naomh Barrog); T Mulligan (Good Counsel), J McNally (Ballinteer St Johns), J Sherlock (Na Fianna). Subs: B Murphy (Naomh Barrog), S Ryan (Naomh Mearnog), AN Other, K Darcy (St Brigid's), L Og O hEineachain (Kilmacud Crokes), D Corcoran (St Mary's), D Lally (St Brigid's), D O'Callaghan (St Mark's), C Keaney (Ballyboden SE).

BLUE STARS (v Dublin): G McGill (UCD); R Lambe (St Vincent's), C Evans (UCD), B O hAnnaidh (UCD); M Casey (Lucan Sarsfields), J Magee (Kilmacud Crokes), D Henry (Raheny); C Whelan (Raheny), L McBarron (Kilmacud Crokes); I Foley (Na Fianna), S Connell (Na Fianna), C McManus (UCD); K Golden (St Vincent's), R Cosgrove (Kilmacud Crokes), T Quinn (St Vincent's). Subs: L McCormack (St Mary's), D Magee (Kilmacud Crokes), S Smith (Thomas Davis), B McDonald (UCD), D Kiernan (Ballyboden SE), J Doyle (Lucan Sarsfields).

DUBLIN (SH v Blue Stars): P Dempsey (Kilmacud Crokes); C O'Brien (Ballinteer SJ), J Cullen (Crumlin), D Spain (Ballyboden SE); R Fallon (St Vincent's), A Browne (Cuala), S Hiney (Ballyboden SE); J McGuirk (Craobh Chiarain), C Meehan (St Vincent's); P Brennan (O'Tooles), S Martin (Crumlin), S O'Shea (Kevins); T Holden (Cuala), C Wilson (St Vincent's), D Donnelly (Crumlin). Subs: E Dunne (Cuala), P McAvinue (St Brigid's), B Browne (Cuala), I Franzoni (St Oliver Plunketts/Eoghan Rua), I McDonald (Nh Fionnbarra), T Sweeney (Ballyboden SE).

BLUE STARS (v Dublin): K McLoughlin (O'Tooles); S Daly (Ballyboden SE), L Donohue (O'Tooles), A Ryan (Ballyboden SE); D O'Reilly (Craobh Chiarain), K Wilson (O'Tooles), F Kelly (Craobh Chiarain); B McLoughlin (O'Tooles), S McDonnell (Craobh Chiarain); M Carton (O'Tooles), C Ring (Craobh Chiarain), C Keaney (Ballyboden SE); K Horgan (O'Tooles), G Flanagan (Faughs), K Flynn (O'Tooles). Subs: T O'Mahony (Faughs), L Ryan (Erins Isle), N Paget (Naomh Fionnbarra), K Ryan (O'Tooles), B O'Sullivan (St Brigid's), F Armstrong (Kilmacud Crokes).