Sport

Turley recalled by Laois for vital match with Clare

LEO TURLEY has been recalled to the Laois football team for Sunday's vital first division match with Clare in Portlaoise

By SEAN MORAN
Fri Feb 02 1996 - 00:00

LEO TURLEY has been recalled to the Laois football team for Sunday's vital first division match with Clare in Portlaoise. The big corner forward has been out of favour with Colm Browne and his selectors since the championship but now has the chance to put such things behind him this weekend.

Both counties are at the foot of the table and defeat for either will almost certainly mean life in Division Two next year. Laois who topped the League last spring and have reached the competition's semi finals for the last two years also bring back Ian Fitzgerald for his first match since the opening League fixture against Meath last October.

Fitzgerald was a star of the minor team last year during their epic battles with eventual All Ireland champions Westmeath and more recently, he has been concentrating his attentions on carrying the Trinity College attack.

Another comeback in Laois on the same afternoon features John Taylor the distinguished hurler who, at 34, has been coaxed out of retirement by Babs Keating. He is named at wing back for the Walsh Cup match with Kilkenny which will be staged in Rathdowney, rather than as part of a double bill in Portlaoise as originally planned.

READ MORE

Taylor's previous match for the county was the fearful drubbing by Wexford in the 1994 championship. He has been troubled by a knee injury and has been referred by Keating to the knee specialist who treated Pat Fox in Tipperary.

Also selected for the hurlers is Cyril Duggan whose task at corner back is immeasurably complicated by his selection as full back on the football team and the simultaneous scheduling of the two matches. Although Duggan is more associated with the hurling team, he is expected to play in Portlaoise given the relative importance of the two matches.

The most notable aspect of Derry's selection sees the versatile Dermot Heaney named at full back. Heaney played full forward on the All Ireland minor winning team of 1989, won a National League medal at centre field in 1992, a senior All Ireland at wing forward the following year and regularly lines out for his club at centre back.

Meanwhile, Tyrone have made four changes to the side that lost to Meath before Christmas. Returning to the team are Ronan McGarrity, Seamus McCallan, Peter Canavan and Stephen Lawn (despite an ankle knock).