Six newcomers for Westmeath

Westmeath manager Tomás Ó Flatharta has handed six players their senior inter-county debuts for Sunday's O'Byrne Cup clash with Carlow.

Ó Flatharta's competitive reign begins at Dr Cullen Park with the winners to face either Meath or DCU in the second round.

With Dessie Dolan suspended, Gary Dolan, David Glennon, Patrick Mulvihill, Donal O'Donoghue and David O'Shaughnessy all out injured and Damien Healy away on holidays, Ó Flatharta has opted for an experimental line-up.

The debutants are full-back Brendan Nannery (St Joseph's), right half-back Graham Dillon of Dublin's Trinity Gaels club, the two midfielders - Coralstown/Kinnegad's Niall Kilmartin and Brendan Murtagh of county champions The Downs, and up front, Killucan's James Nugent and PJ Ward of Kilbeggan will be making their bows.

Murtagh has previous inter-county experience - he scored two points as wing back in the Westmeath hurlers' Christy Ring Cup final defeat of Down in August. Ward also lined out for New York in last season's Connacht football championship.

WESTMEATH (v Carlow): Gary Connaughton; James Davitt, Brendan Nannery, John Keane; Graham Dillon, Michael Ennis, Daniel McDermott; Brendan Murtagh, Niall Kilmartin; Derek Heavin, Denis Glennon, James Nugent; Alan Mangan, PJ Ward, Joe Fallon.