Bracken returns as Offaly senior football team named for derby clash

ONE change has been made on the Offaly senior football team for Saturday's final Tailteann Cup group clash against Laois in Newbridge.

Aidan Bracken replaces the injured Diarmuid Egan on the half back line. Bracken had been a regular on the team for most of the National Football League and played in the championship defeat by Meath. The Ballycommo had been full back but missed the Tailteann Cup wins over Wicklow and Waterford following the traumatically sudden death of older brother, Noel, a vet in Roscrea during the week of the first round against Wicklow.

Bracken had been playing very well and he was with the Offaly subs in Waterford for the second round win but wasn't named on the panel. His club colleague David Dempsey replaced him at full back and now an unfortunate hamstring injury for Tullamore man Diarmuid Egan has created an opening for his return.

Egan is desperately unlucky this year. He had went very well in the opening stages of the National Football League before getting a bad hamstring tear. He missed most of the league and the championship game in Navan but returned for the Tailteann Cup and was showing his potential again, defending solidly and providing a very good attacking threat going forward. Unfortunately he went off in the dying moments of the harder than expected win over Waterford.

There has also been doubts about the fitness of Diarmuid's flying younger brother Cormac, who went off holding a leg in the 50^th minute that day. Cormac Egan has also had hamstring problems but is named at wing back for Saturday's game.

It would have been a choice between Bracken and Rory Egan to replace Diarmuid Egan and if there is any late withdrawals from the defence, Rory Egan will be likely to start.

Apart from Aidan Bracken's call up, the same team is named for the Laois clash. Inform attacker Keith O'Neill is still out with an injury but is again named on the subs bench, though he wasn't introduced in Waterford. Diarmuid Egan's absence has resuled in Ballinagar's Geordi O'Meara being called up onto the subs bench for the first time this year,

With two wins, Offaly are assured of a knockout place and this defeat will determine placings. They would like to win it to top the group and go direct into the quarter-finals while a defeat could leave them in a preliminary quarter-final – if Offaly lost and Wicklow defeat Waterford, you would see Offaly, Laois and Wicklow all tied on four points and scoring difference determining the group placings.

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OFFALY: Paddy Dunican (Shamrocks); Lee Pearson (Edenderry), David Dempsey (Ballycommon), Daire McDaid (Tullamore); Aidan Bracken (Ballycommon), John Furlong (Tullamore), Cormac Egan (Tullamore); Jack McEvoy (Clonbullogue), Jordan Hayes (Edenderry); Kyle Higgins (Ferbane), Cathal Flynn (Ferbane), Cillian Bourke (Tullamore); Aaron Kellaghan (Rhode), Jack Bryant (Shamrocks), Shane Tierney (Daingean). Subs – Sean O'Toole (Shamrocks), Marcas Dalton (Clara), Cathal Donoghue (Kilcormac-Killoughey), Rory Egan (Edenderry), Dylan Hyland (Raheen), Oisin Keenan-Martin (Tullamore), Geordi O'Meara (Ballinagar), Keith O'Neill (Clonbullogue), Shane O'Toole-Greene (Shamrocks), Ruari McNamee (Rhode), Morgan Tynan (Ballinagar).