DUBLIN HURLING BOSS Ger Cunningham is planning without Niall McMorrow and Ross O’Carroll for the Leinster SHC quarter-final against Galway at Croke Park on Sunday week.
McMorrow is ruled out through injury while Cunningham confirmed that O’Carroll has left his squad to concentrate on club football commitments with Kilmacud Crokes.
McMorrow, 25, made a big impact in the concluding stages of the Allianz Hurling League to nail down a regular position in the team.
McMorrow replaced O’Carroll during Dublin’s two-point victory over Galway at Parnell Park in March, doing enough to ensure starts against Limerick and Cork at the business end of the competition.
McMorrow scored two points in the impressive quarter-final victory over Limerick at Croke Park and lined out alongside Johnny McCaffrey at midfield in the semi-final defeat against Cork.
But he will play no part in the provincial championship showdown with the Tribesmen after picking up a thumb injury in training a fortnight ago.
Meanwhile, O’Carroll has opted out of the squad, informing Cunningham that he wishes to concentrate on the big ball code at club level.
Crokes have a crunch clash with Ballyboden St Enda’s pencilled in for June 6 at Parnell Park and O’Carroll, 28, wishes to pour all of his energy into that particular fixture.
Cunningham confirmed: “He (O’Carroll) wants to concentrate on club football. He’s a staunch clubman and they have a game coming up in a couple of weeks.”
We’ve quite a good selection of midfielders in McCarthy, Whelan, Gibson, Hendricks, Meyler, Quinn, Hoolahan & Arter. Be interesting to see who MON brings, maybe one less striker and add an extra midfielder?
I think Gibson and Quinn will be cut
McGeady is an enigma. No doubt he’s very talented, good at Celtic, good with Moscow and since then his career has nose dived.
I can’t understand bringing McGeady who has been shocking this season and cutting somebody like Hayes from the squad. I know O’Neill loves him but bringing him just because he scored an important goal for us over a year ago is a joke and a waste of a place in the squad..