Rory Maguire back in Cork team for crunch Cavan clash

The 2023 All-Star nominee started Cork’s league opener against Donegal, but subsequently dropped to the bench for the following weekend’s defeat away to Louth.

BACK IN: Donegal's Ciarán Moore and Domhnall Mac Giolla Bhride with Rory Maguire of Cork

2023 All-Star nominee Rory Maguire has come back into the Cork football team for their crunch Division 2 fixture at home to Cavan on Saturday.

Maguire started Cork’s league opener against Donegal, but subsequently dropped to the bench for the following weekend’s defeat away to Louth.

The Castlehaven half-back replaces Seán Meehan, in what is the sole change from the aforementioned 2-9 to 0-13 loss to Louth a fortnight ago.

Seán Powter is included in a Cork matchday panel for the first time in 2024. Powter picked up an injury in December’s Cork-Meath Teddy McCarthy game, which forced him to sit out the county's McGrath Cup campaign and opening two rounds of the league.

Elsewhere, the Clifford brothers and Tadhg Morley will make their first starts of the year for Kerry in Saturday evening’s Division 1 League fixture at home to Mayo.

David and Paudie Clifford, as well as Morley, made their first Kerry appearances of 2024 when coming off the bench during the Round 2 win over Monaghan above in Clones two weeks ago.

Their promotion to the starting team for the visit of League champions Mayo to Austin Stack Park represent the three changes made by Jack O’Connor. Making way are Paul Murphy, Ronan Buckley, and Conor Geaney.

Meanwhile, Mayo manager Kevin McStay has made five changes to his side which defeated Dublin in round two for their clash against Kerry.

Michael Plunkett comes in to replace Rory Brickenden at centre back with David McBrien returning to full-back. Donnacha McHugh replaces Sam Callinan at corner back with Stephen Coen starting in place of captain Paddy Durcan. Diarmuid O'Connor makes his first appearance of this year's league campaign starting at midfield.

Upfront Tommy Conroy returns to captain the side in place of Paul Towey. 

Elsewhere, All-Star nominee Seán Kelly is back in the Galway matchday panel for Sunday’s Allianz FL Division 1 clash with Tyrone in Omagh.

The Moycullen man is named on the bench as Galway look to pick up their first win of the campaign in O’Neills Healy Park.

Kelly had been sidelined by long-standing ankle and hamstring issues, which also forced him out of University of Galway’s Sigerson Cup campaign.

Pádraic Joyce has announced one change to the side that drew with Roscommon the weekend before last – Johnny Heaney comes in for Eoghan Kelly.

Damien Comer and Shane Walsh are not among the 26 but Joyce is entitled to make late changes to his squad in the league.

CORK: P Doyle; M Shanley, D O’Mahony, T Walsh; L Fahy, R Maguire, M Taylor; I Maguire, C O’Callaghan; E McSweeney, R Deane, B O’Driscoll; M Cronin, B Hurley, C Óg Jones.

Subs: C Kelly, K Flahive, D Cashman, S Powter, S Meehan, D Buckley, P Walsh, J Cahalane, F Herlihy, D Gore, S Sherlock.

GALWAY (AFL v Tyrone): C. Gleeson; J. McGrath, S. Fitzgerald, S. Mulkerrin; D. McHugh, J. Daly, K. Molloy; P. Conroy, J. Maher; J. Heaney, M. Tierney (c), C. Sweeney; R. Finnerty, C. Ó Curraoin, L. Ó Conghaile. 

Subs: O. Burke, D. O’Flaherty, L. Boyle, S. Kelly, G. Davoren, N. Daly, C. Brady, C. Darcy, P. Egan, J. McCabe, R. Cunningham.

CAVAN (AFL v Cork): G. O'Rourke; O. Kiernan, K. Brady, J. McLoughlin; P. Faulkner (j-c), N. Carolan, G. Smith; K. Clarke, R. Donohoe, C. Brady (j-c), D. McVeety, T. Madden; P. Lynch, J. Smith, R. O'Neill.

Subs: F. O'Rourke, C. Rehill, R. Brady, C. Reilly, B. O'Connell, P. Meade, P. Smith, C. Madden, O. Brady, Caoimhin O'Reilly, Cormac O'Reilly.

KERRY (AFL v Mayo): S Ryan; G O’Sullivan, J Foley, D Casey; T O’Sullivan, T Morley, G White; D O’Connor, J O’Connor; P Clifford (c), D Geaney, C Burke; D Clifford, S O’Shea, D Moynihan.

Subs: S Murphy, P Murphy, C Geaney, R Buckley, B D O’Sullivan, S O’Brien, A Spillane, A Heinrich, T Brosnan, D Bourke, K Evans, P O’Leary

MAYO (AFL v Kerry): C Reape; J Coyne, D McBrien, D McHugh; S Coen, M Plunkett, E McLaughlin; J Carney, D O'Connor; B Tuohy, F Boland, J Flynn; A O'Shea, T Conroy (c), R O'Donoghue

ROSCOMMON (AFL v Dublin): C Carroll; D Murray, B Stack (c), N Higgins; C Hussey, E Flynn, E McCormack; S Cunnane, E Smith; R Fallon, D Ruane, C Lennon; D Cregg, D Murtagh, C Connolly.

DUBLIN (AFL v Roscommon): D O’Hanlon; S MacMahon, T Clancy, L Gannon; G McEneaney, C Murphy, J McCaffrey; B Fenton, C O’Callaghan; S Bugler, R McGarry, C Kilkenny; P Small, C Costello, C Basquel.

Subs: C Lavin, C Walsh, L Glennon, N Daly, P Gavin, R Dolan, J Duggan, C Heneghan, C Cox, A McDermott, J Fitzpatrick.

OFFALY (AFL v Clare): I Duffy; L Pearson (c), D Dempsey, A Bracken; R Egan, J Furlong, J O’Brien; E Carroll, P Cunningham; C Egan, R McNamee, J Hayes; D Hyland, C Farrell, N Dunne.

Subs: M Cunningham, A Bolger, D McDaid, D Wyer, J Quinn, K McDermott, K O’Neill, J Bryant, A Sullivan, C Flynn, N Poland.