DERRY’S Anthony Tohill is a major injury doubt for Ulster ahead of their InterProvincial Football semi-final replay with Munster in Omagh on Sunday with Paul Brewster ready to step in.
The former double Allstar hurt his knee during the Oak Leafers’ dismal defeat by Cork in the National League quarter-final at Croke last Sunday and did not train with Ulster this week.
Tohill did go to Owenbeg on Wednesday night but only to receive treatment from the county physio rather than to play in their challenge match against Bellaghy.
Fermanagh’s highly-rated Brewster stands by and in fact is likely to start instead of Tohill, with provincial manager Brian McEniff refusing to jeopardise a player’s county chances by using him when not fully fit.
“I will ring Anthony on Saturday evening, leaving it as late as possible, but he is very doubtful. I would not ask him to play with an injury, I wouldn’t do that to any county manager.”
ALL-IRELAND U18 Vocational Schools champions Holy Trinity College Cookstown, travel to Portlaoise tomorrow hopeful that they can overcome Kerry and Munster champions Cahirciveen Community School (3pm) and bring the trophy back to Ulster for a second successive year.
On their way to last year’s final the Tyrone school beat Causeway from Kerry in the semi-final, so coach Peter Canavan is confident that his side can do likewise to Cahirciveen.
Canavan knows what it takes to win big games and he has his charges in excellent shape.
Both team captain Fran Loughran and midfielder Eoin Mulligan have recovered from injuries and are back to full fitness.
John Cummings, who missed the semi-final due to illness, is fit again.
He is the only change from the Clara game.
He goes into his normal centre half-forward position with Stephen McNally dropping down to the reserves.
Holy Trinity College: R Scullion; M Grimes, F Loughran (capt), P Ryan; G Quinn, S Teague, N Quinn; E Mulligan, D McGarrity; P O’Neill, J Cummings, M McGarvey; E McNally, R Collins, A Quinn.
Cahirciveen Community School: A Hogan; B McCarthy, C O’Connor, M Sheehan, D O’Sullivan, S Curran (capt), N Galvin; S O’Connor, S O’Sullivan; D Breen, J Fitzgerald, A O’Sullivan; M O’Connor, J Clifford, M McAllen.
DERRY’S Ulster hurler of the year Ollie Collins returns to county action this weekend for the first time since last summer.
The Lavey man, who opted out of NHL action at the start of the season, is named at full-forward for the Oak Leaf county’s crucial NHL Division Two clash with Carlow in Ballinascreen on Sunday.
Derry currently lie in second place in the table having played six games and victory against the midtable Carlow outfit would boost further their hopes of Division One hurling next season.
Ronan McCloskey is out with hamstring trouble sustained in the recent meeting with Tyrone. He now faces a battle to recover before the Ulster championship semi-final with Down.
Michael Conway also misses out after he limped out of last Saturday’s victory over London as is Hugh Mullan, who also went off with an ankle injury.
NORTHERN Ireland manager Lawrie McMenemy has turned to three youthful attacking players in his squad for the home friendly with Canada on Tuesday April 27.
Norwich City striker Adrian Coote is called up to the senior squad for the first time and is rejoined by recalled club colleague Philip Mulryne, formerly of Manchester United.
Blackburn Rovers winger Damien Johnson makes his senior squad bow too.
Northern Ireland squad: Taylor (Fulham), Fettis (Blackburn), Hughes (Newcastle), Horlock (Man City), Kennedy (Watford), Rowland (QPR), Williams (Chesterfield), Morrow (QPR), Hunter (Reading), Johnson (Blackburn), Gillespie (Blackburn), McCarthy (Birmingham), Mulryne (Norwich), Lomas (West Ham), Lennon (Leicester), Sonner (Sheff Wed), Robinson (Bournemouth), Dowie (QPR), Coote (Norwich), Quinn (WBA)
ST MALACHY’S College, Belfast's all-conquering middle distance squad will bid for yet more athletics history this day week when they attempt to become the first school to win three successive distance medley relays at the Penn Relays in Philadelphia.
The Belfast boys head for the US on Monday morning knowing that a three-in-a row in the U20 event would be one of the greatest performances in Irish athletics history.
However, coach John Morrin is warning his lads that they will face stiffer tasks than their college predecessors overcame over the past two years.
