The 16th Man

New Galway manager Alan Mulholland has selected his team for Sunday’s Allianz Football League Division 2 encounter with Derry at Celtic Park (throw-in 2.30pm).

Goalkeeper Manus Breathnach, corner back Keith Kelly and forwards Mark Hehir and Michael Martin will all make their bows in the competition.

Milltown attacker Hehir played a starring role in Galway’s All-Ireland Under-21 success last year, and made his senior Championship debut against Mayo in June.

In a team captained by International Rules ace Finian Hanley, two more of Mulholland’s exciting U-21 graduates, Thomas Flynn and Fintan Curran, will combine in midfield.

Missing the talismanic Padraic Joyce and the injury-plagued Michael Meehan, Galway will need some of their youngsters to step up to the mark. Although, Joe Bergin and Nicky Joyce could prove influential as substitutes this weekend.

Hanley told the Irish Daily Star: “The boys are ready. There is a bit of bite in training. There are a lot of lads looking over their shoulder now. Hopefully it can all blend early on and we can get our confidence back.

“Division 2 is as tough as Division 1. Meath almost got relegated last year and will be considered contenders for the Leinster title, as will Kildare.”

GALWAY (AFL v Derry): Manus Breathnach; Colin Forde, Finian Hanley (capt), Keith Kelly; Garreth Bradshaw, Johnny Duane, Gary O’Donnell; Thomas Flynn, Fintan Curran; Jonathan Ryan, Paul Conroy, Mark Hehir; Michael Martin, Cormac Bane, Danny Cummins.

Substitutes: Adrian Faherty, Kieran McGrath, Gary Sice, Diarmuid Blake, Tomás Fahy, Barry Cullinane, Joe Bergin, Cathal Kenny, Nicky Joyce, Joe Joe Greaney, Shane Maughan.

New Offaly manager Gerry Cooney has named his team to face Longford in their Allianz Football League Division 3 opener against Longford at Glennon Brothers Pearse Park on Sunday (throw-in 2.30pm).

The selected team shows seven changes to the side that lost out to Kildare in the recent Bord na Mona O’Byrne Cup quarter-final.

Walsh Island’s James Gallagher and Rhode’s Shane Sullivan come into defence, with Richie Dalton absent due to a calf injury and Derek Kelly also missing out.

Brian Hanamy has been drafted into midfield in place of Ross Brady, who is absent due to a rib injury. Up front Daniel Currams and Anton Sullivan partner Aidan Keenaghan in a new look half-forward line.

Bernard Allen, who featured for DIT in their extra-time victory over IT Carlow in the Sigerson Cup on Wednesday afternoon, is named in the full-forward line, alongside former Offaly net minder Alan Mulhall and St Sylvester’s, Dublin clubman Nigel Dunne.

David Hanlon is also absent due to a hamstring tear, while Michael Brazil and Rhode’s Niall McNamee have also been ruled out of this weekend’s game.

OFFALY (AFL v Longford): Kevin Meehan; James Gallagher, Paul McConway, Sean Pender; Brian Darby, Shane Sullivan, Lorcan Hiney; Brian Hanamy, Niall Smith; Aidan Keenaghan, Daniel Currams, Anton Sullivan; Bernard Allen, Alan Mulhall, Nigel Dunne.

Substitutes: Ian Duffy, Graham Guilfoyle, William Mulhall, Derek Kelly, Ken Casey, Ger Treacy, Stephen Guing, Kevin Lynam, John Moloney, James Keane.

The GAA’s Central Competitions Control Committee has come down hard on Derrytresk and Dromid Pearses after the violent scenes that marred their All-Ireland Junior Club semi-final in Portlaoise last month.

Eight Derrytresk players have been banned and the Tyrone side have also been hit with a €5,000 fine.

The Kerry side, Dromid Pearses, have had three players suspended and have been fined €2,000.

Full-forward Kieran Donaghy will take on the captaincy role for Kerry’s opening Allianz Football League Division 1 clash with Dublin on Saturday night (throw-in 7.15pm).

Donaghy will lead an attack which includes in-form Legion clubman James O’Donoghue, who is set to make his first competitive start for the Kingdom.

For their trip to Croke Park, Jack O’Connor’s men are of course without their All-Ireland Championship-tied Dr. Crokes players.

There are notable inclusions for Laune Rangers’ Peter Crowley and Brian Maguire of Listowel Emmetts in defence, with the rest of the side mostly along expected lines.

The mercurial Paul Galvin joins former captain Darran O’Sullivan in the half-forward line, with Sean O’Sullivan also back in the starting line-up.

O’Sullivan, a four-time All-Ireland SFC winner, resumed training with Kerry earlier this month after a three-year absence. His form with beaten finalists Mid-Kerry in the county Championship earned him a recall.

O’Sullivan’s Cromane club-mate and fellow forward Donnchadh Walsh will miss the opening rounds of the league due to a hip/groin problem which may require surgery.

Meanwhile, substitutes Brian Moran and David O’Callaghan are back on board having previously been members of the panel, while Patrick Curtin and JP Spillane make the step-up from the Under-21 grade.

KERRY (AFL v Dublin): Brendan Kealy; Shane Enright, Marc Ó Sé, Peter Crowley; Tomás Ó Sé, Killian Young, Brian Maguire; Seamus Scanlon, Bryan Sheehan; Paul Galvin, Darran O’Sullivan, Sean O’Sullivan; James O’Donoghue, Kieran Donaghy (capt), Barry John Keane.

Substitutes: Tomás Mac a t’Saoir, Aidan O’Mahony, Daniel Bohan, Patrick Curtin, Anthony Maher, JP Spillane, Jonathan Lyne, Brian Moran, David O’Callaghan, David Geaney.

The future of Pádraic Joyce’s involvement in the Galway senior football squad will be discussed this week when the three-time All-Star meets with manager Alan Mulholland.

The 34-year-old was absent for the opening five games in the Tribemen’s Allianz Football League campaign last year, but featured in the Championship where Galway suffered defeats to Mayo and Meath.

Joyce has been plagued by injury in recent seasons, and the Killererin clubman has yet to indicate his availability for 2012. However, the new Galway boss is keen to have him on board.

“I’m not putting any severe pressure on Pádraic,” Mulholland said at the launch of the Allianz Football League today.

“I realise that when you are in your mid-30s it takes a bigger effort than ever to get into the shape that you need to be in in the modern game. I’m going to talk to him this week and see where he is on that.

“There’s no rush to get him in. We’d love to have him available for Championship and we will take the league for him to see whether he has the desire and pyhiscal ability to (play).

“Pádraic, again no more than Michael (Meehan), has had a few injuries over the last while and has been carrying a bit of that.

“Obviously you want your best players available to you and Pádraic is one of the best if not the best that Galway have had for the last number of years.”

Another player who has been troubled by injury in the Galway camp in recent seasons is Michael Meehan.

The Caltra clubman’s inter-county career has been blighted by a string of serious injuries over the past three years, with an ankle injury sustained during a league game against Kerry in 2010 continuing to haunt him.

Mulholland concedes that it is very much a bonus for his side if Meehan is involved. “It’s a management issue for Michael now, he will never be cured,” he admitted.

“Whether he can play inter-county football carrying this injury is the big issue. But Michael has been an example to the whole panel.

“Michael has been training infrequently (with the squad) over the last two to three years yet he is probably training harder than anybody else. He’s working on his own extremely hard.

“We have got to treat it as a bonus if Michael togs out for us in the Championship this year.”

Today’s Bord na Mona O’Byrne Cup final between Kildare and DCU and the Kehoe Shield hurling tie between Roscommon and Armagh have both been postponed due to bad weather conditions.

The O’Byrne Cup decider was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch at St Conleth’s Park in Newbridge. The game was due to be shown live on TG4.

In hurling, Roscommon’s Kehoe Cup clash with Armagh, due to take place at Athleague, is also postponed.

Both postponed games have yet to be refixed.

Meanwhile, in the Bord na Mona Walsh Cup the quarter-final tie between Laois and Dublin scheduled for Rathdowney will now take place at O’Moore Park in Portlaoise (throw-in 2pm).

A strong first half display helped Laois capture the Bord na Mona Shield title for the third time as they beat Wexford 1-15 to 1-6 at Wexford Park.

Earlier in the competition against Carlow it was an early goal from Peter O’Leary which set the tone for a Laois victory, and once again the O’Moore men were goal hungry early in this contest.

Portlaoise’s Paul Cahillane got the wind-assisted visitors off to a flying start, firing home a goal inside the opening five minutes with Justin McNulty’s charges opening up a 1-5 to 0-2 lead after 25 minutes.

Wexford bounced back with a goal before the break, but Laois continued to show strongly, with David Conway claiming four points in the opening 35 minutes as they led by 1-9 to 1-3 at the interval.

Ben Brosnan bagged much of Wexford’s first half tally and again was vital to the Slaneysiders on the restart. However, scores from Ross Munnelly and Darren Strong pushed Laois seven points clear.

Laois led by 1-12 to 1-5 with 14 minutes remaining and held out until the finish, with Damien O’Connor and substitute Stephen O’Leary adding late scores.

After the game Kevin Meaney accepted the Shield on behalf of the victorious Laois team.

Cork 0-13 Tipperary 0-6


Cork wrapped up their preparations for the Allianz Football League by lifting the McGrath Cup in Clonmel this afternoon.

Conor Counihan’s side were relatively untroubled as they carved out a 0-13 to 0-6 victory over a determined but limited Tipperary team.

Fiachra Lynch opened the scoring with a third minute free, newcomer Micheal O Laoire added a second point and Fintan Goold put the Rebels 0-3 to 0-0 in front.

In difficult underfoot conditions, Tipp’s main threat Barry Grogan managed to get free to land their first point before the influential Paul Kerrigan replied.

Philip Austin and Grogan, who slotted over a free in injury-time, added further points for the hosts, but Liam Shorten and Conor O’Driscoll nudged Cork into a 0-6 to 0-3 interval lead.

The Premier County, contesting their first McGrath Cup final since they last won it in 2003, struggled to hang onto the coat-tails of the visitors in the second period.

Cork swept 0-12 to 0-4 clear thanks to points from Kerrigan, Alan O’Connor and Goold with Conor Sweeney hitting the lone reply for Tipp.

The home side’s hopes of a late comeback were dashed by Cork goalkeeper Ken O’Halloran, who pulled off three excellent saves. The last of them saw him thwart Grogan, who finished as Tipp’s top scorer with 0-4.

The victory confirmed Cork as McGrath Cup champions for the sixth time. It is the fourth occasion in the last seven years that the Rebels have won the early season competition, which will give them added confidence heading into next weekend’s opening Division 1 trip to Armagh.

Tyrone 1-14 Derry 2-8


Tyrone limbered up for next weekend’s NFL opener against Kildare with a first Dr McKenna Cup title since 2007.

The Red Hands dominated the second half after Derry’s early flourish wilted when they were reduced to 14 men.

The dismissal of midfielder James Conway on a straight red card in the 18th minute had a major effect on the game, with the Oak Leafers struggling to stay with a Tyrone side which exploited the gaps which appeared.

Paddy Bradley’s early goal helped John Brennan’s side to a six points lead, but an Owen Mulligan strike sparked a fightback which never relented until Cailean O’Boyle netted a consolation penalty in stoppage time.

Paddy Bradley shot the Oak Leafers into a two points lead with two frees in the opening six minutes, and gave his side a massive boost with a 16th minute goal, finished with precision after Conway had thuimp[ed a free kick into thdanger area.

Derry went further ahead with a trademark Mark Lynch point, before Colm Cavanagh’s pass sent Mickey Murphy in for Tyrone’s opening score.

Despite losing the influential Conway, who misses next weekend’s league opener against Galway, fourteen-man Derry continued to call the shots, with Lynch firing over a wonderful point from the sideline.

Tyrone had scores from Peter Harte and a Stephen O’Neill free, but in stoppage time they were right back in, with Owen Mulligan firing in a goal following a neat build-up from Dermot Carlin and Joe McMahon

Cathal McCarron’s point sent the sides in level on 1-5 each at the break, and Tyrone pushed on after the break with another string of points, including sublime efforts from Stephen O’Neill and the impressive Mattie Donnelly.

Derry’s two scores in the third quarter came from Gilligan frees, and their brief skirmishes into opposition territory failed to interrupt the Red Hand momentum.

Murphy, back in action following a lengthy battle against injury, lifted his game in midfield, while Mark Donnelly was a creative force and Mattie Donnelly fired over two more quality scores.

Six of Tyrone’s scores came from half backs and midfielders, with Cathal McCarron pushing forward to hit his second.

They were seven points clear as the game slipped into stoppage time, when O’Boyle slotted home a consolation penalty.

Tyrone: J Devine, A McCrory, Justin McMahon, PJ Quinn, C McCarron (0-2), P Harte (0-1), D Carlin (0-1), M Murphy (0-2), C Cavanagh, Mattie Donnelly (0-3), P Hughes, M Penrose, O Mulligan (1-1, 0-1f), Mark Donnelly (0-1), Stephen O’Neill (0-2, 1f).
Subs: Joe McMahon for Cavanagh (20), J Lafferty for Penrose (49), Sean O’Neill for Justin McMahon (52), S McNulty for Murphy (67), R O’Neill (0-1) for Stephen O’Neill (67)

Derry: D Devlin, D McBride, L Morrow, R Dillon, G O’Kane, B McCallion, SLGoldrick (0-1), J Conway, J Diver, C McKaigue, M Lynch (0-2), B McGoldrick, C O’Boyle (1-0, pen), P Bradley (1-2, 0-2f) , C Gilligan (0-3, 2f).
Subs: N Forrester for O’Kane (8), K O’Neill for Forrester (40), PJ McCluskey for Diver (51), M Craig for R Dillon (53), E Lynn for Gilligan (62)

Referee: M Higgins (Fermanagh).

The GAA’s Central Competitions Control Committee will today begin their investigation into the violent scenes which marred last Sunday’s All-Ireland JFC semi-final between Dromid Pearses and Derrytresk.

The CCCC officials are due to meet to review the official report of Leitrim referee Francis Flynn, who was on duty for the Portlaoise clash, and also analyse two videos of the game.

Both clubs have issued public statements regarding the much-debated brawl which erupted before half-time at O’Moore Park.

The statement issued on Wednesday by Dromid, who lost 1-10 to 0-7 and had two players sent-off, read: “It is now in the hands of the officials of Croke Park and in the hands of the CCCC.

“We are issuing this statement in order to prevent any further confusion on the matter and hope this will clarify matters for all concerned, we also trust that a review of the footage of last weekend’s game will speak for itself.

“In light of the game that occurred on Sunday last in Portlaoise, we felt that the issue of violence and public scenes of disturbance at GAA fixtures needed to be highlighted and acted upon in an official capacity.

“This incident has left us, our team, management and club as a whole feeling quite disturbed having enjoyed our run throughout this fantastic competition to date, and we are saddened that it culminated in the events of last Sunday.

“However, the fact that so many people were placed in danger cannot be left unnoticed.”



It added: “Failure to highlight issues such as this to us is no longer an option, Piarsaigh na Dromoda’s management and players have put their hearts and souls into this competition and stand by the fact that we believe that last Sunday’s game should have been called off immediately after the incident that occurred on the pitch, that saw many individuals enter the field and partake in the melee that occurred.

“To clarify our stance on the issue, we feel that the events of last Sunday should never have occurred and that it has highlighted issues that need to be examined from a health and safety point of view as well as the ramifications that it has on the GAA as an entity.

“However, the players, management and supporters of Cumann Peile Piarsaigh na Dromoda are all united in the knowledge that the CCCC will deal with this and assign appropriate punishment to those who instigated events.”

As Derrytresk hail from Tyrone and CCCC chairman Seamus Woods is from the same county, he will step aside for the hearing to avoid a conflict of interest. Vice-chairman Tommy Kilcoyne from Sligo will head up the meeting instead.