Mayo face capital test

All-Ireland finalists Mayo travel to Parnell Park to face Dublin in their opening National Football League encounter tonight.

However, events in the build-up to the match were overshadowed by the continuing controversy surrounding midfielder David Brady.

The Ballina Stephenites club man was selected on Wednesday to partner basketball star Ronan McGarrity at midfield, but it later emerged that Brady had not spoken to team management since last September's All-Ireland final.

Ballina will contest the All-Ireland club semi-finals this month.

Brady said: "My thoughts and aims are with Ballina at the moment, I'm 100% committed to the club. I played a challenge game for Ballina last Sunday and that's my last game until the All-Ireland semi-final."

He added: "It's a bit unfair and unprofessional to be named in a team when I'm not involved at the moment."

Brady would not say if he will rejoin the Mayo squad following Ballina's club championship campaign.

Meanwhile, manager John Maughan said he had made about "40 calls" to Brady in recent weeks but had been unable to get through to him.

All-Star Ciaran McDonald skippers tonight's Mayo team, which sees Fintan Ruddy replacing Peter Burke in goals, while John Prenty makes his first League start, along with Liam O'Malley and Aidan Kilcoyne.

Robbie Boyle will don the Dublin jersey for the first time in six years after the Erin's Isle club man was named at full-forward for the visit of the westerners.

Boyle returned to the Dublin squad last year but did not figure in the championship. However, new boss Paul Caffrey, who takes charge of his first league game as Metropolitan manager, has handed the attacker an opportunity to play his way back into his plans.

Boyle was part of the panel that won the 1995 All-Ireland final. Jason Sherlock leads the attack at centre-forward and Paddy Christie skippers the side.

David Henry moves to the half-forward line, having played up until now in defence.

DUBLIN (SF v Mayo): S Cluxton; B Cahill, P Christie, S O'Shaughnessy; P Casey, B Cullen, P Griffin; S Ryan, C Whelan; D Henry, J Sherlock, S Connell; D O'Callaghan, R Boyle, T Quinn.

MAYO (SF v Dublin): F Ruddy; P Kelly, D Heaney, L O'Malley; G Mullins, J Nallen, P Gardiner; R McGarrity, AN Other; J Gill, C McDonald, A Kilcoyne; C Mortimer, A Dillon, J Prenty.