Galway and Kilkenny name teams for Shefflin-Cody showdown

CONOR WHELAN was named on the Galway bench as Henry Shefflin prepares to welcome his old boss Brian Cody to Pearse Stadium this Sunday.

Helan suffered a worrying hamstring injury during Galway’s opening day stalemate against Wexford in the Leinster SHC round robin group and he sat out last weekend’s 25-point win over Westmeath as a result.

However, his 26th-place finish in Galway on matchday against Kilkenny suggests the injury he sustained just two weeks ago was relatively minor.

Shefflin has named an unchanged starting XI of 15 as he prepares to welcome his native cats to the west. Aside from some positional tinkering, it’s like you were from the Tribesmen after their 3-36 to 1-17 win over Westmeath.

Meanwhile, Cillian Buckley returns to the Kilkenny team in midfield while John Donnelly falls to the bench.

GALWAY (SHC v Kilkenny) – E. Murphy; J. Grealish, Daithí Burke, D. Morrissey; P Mannion, G McInerney, F Burke; J Cooney, T Monaghan; David Burke, C Cooney, C Fahy; E Niland, B Concannon, C Mannion. Substitutes: D Fahy, D Cronin, T Killeen, TJ Brennan, S Ryan, J Coen, J Hastings, G Lee, K Cooney, E Burke, C Whelan.

KILKENNY (SHC) – E Murphy; M Butler, H Lawlor, T Walsh; M Carey, P Deegan, C Browne; J Maher, C Buckley; W Walsh, P Walsh, A Mullen; B Ryan, TJ Reid, E Cody. Subs: Brennan D, Delaney C, Reid R, Blanchfield D, Fogarty C, Kenny C, Murphy A, Donnelly J, Keoghan M, Leahy R, Phelan T.