Mayo make two changes for Donegal decider, Kerry make five changes for Meath match

TEAM NEWS: Kerry's Mark O'Shea is set to make his championship debut. Pic: ©INPHO/Bryan Keane

Stephen Rochford and the Mayo management have announced their team to face Donegal in the All-Ireland Football Championship Round 3 match this Sunday (throw-in 4pm) at King & Moffatt Dr. Hyde Park in Roscommon.

There are two changes to the starting fifteen that played Tyrone in Round 2 two weeks ago with Dylan Thornton and Jordan Flynn replacing Sean Morahan and Bob Tuohy.

Meanwhile the Kerry team announced to start Saturday’s All-Ireland SFC Group 2 final round game against Meath in Tullamore shows five changes from the side that began the Round 2 win over Cork.

Barry Dan O’Sullivan (knee), Paudie Clifford (hamstring) and Paul Geaney (shoulder) were not expected to start and in come Mark O’Shea for a starting championship debut, Killian Spillane and Dylan Geaney.

In defence, Dylan Casey and Brian Ó Beaglaoich make way for the experienced pair of Paul Murphy and Tadhg Morley, although Austin Stacks’s man Casey is among the substitutes where Dara Moynihan returns. Morley was a late replacement for Ó Beaglaoich in Cork last month.

It's certainly a depleted Kerry group that make the trip to Glenisk O’Connor Park as Diarmuid O’Connor (groin) is still unavailable. A win or a draw will be enough for The Kingdom to top the table and earn an automatic All-Ireland quarter-final place and a two-week break.

Odhrán Lynch returns to the No.1 spot for Derry for Saturday’s crucial final round game against Dublin in Newry. Lynch has not begun a game since injurying his quad against Mayo in the first half of their final round Division 1 game in March.

Lynch is set to be the only change from the team that drew with Galway in Celtic Park in Round 2.

Elsewhere, Croke Park and TUS Gaelic Grounds are among the potential venues for the All-Ireland senior hurling quarter-finals the weekend after next.

Pending results, the GAA’s Central Competitions Control Committee will consider a double-header involving the Dublin hurlers and footballers in Croke Park on Saturday week. The Tailteann Cup semi-finals are due to take place in GAA HQ the following day.

A victory for Dublin’s hurlers over Kildare in Newbridge in Saturday’s All-Ireland SHC preliminary quarter-final to set up a last-six clash with Limerick combined with the footballers finishing second in their All-Ireland SFC group and securing home advantage in a preliminary quarter-final that weekend would pave the way for such a double-header.

Dessie Farrell’s side know a win or a draw against Derry will secure them second spot behind Armagh in All-Ireland SFC Group 4 and a return to Croke Park after losing to The Orchard County there earlier this month.

A win for Tipperary against Laois in Portlaoise on Saturday would ensure a third All-Ireland quarter-final against Galway in the last six seasons. The two previous matches in 2020 and ‘23, both won by Galway, have been played in TUS Gaelic Grounds. However, their 2010 All-Ireland quarter-final was staged in Croke Park when Tipperary prevailed by one point in a classic.

Both quarter-finals have been pencilled in for 4pm and 6pm on RTÉ on Saturday week but neither Dublin nor Kildare would be inclined to play Limerick on their home soil.

At the same time, Limerick could face stewarding difficulties for a Galway-Tipperary meeting there if their own county’s game is played elsewhere on June 21 and therefore that potential pairing could be moved to Sunday week.

KERRY (SFC v Meath): S. Ryan; P. Murphy, J. Foley, T. O’Sullivan; T. Morley, M. Breen, G. White (c); J. O’Connor, M. O’Shea; G. O’Sullivan, S. O’Shea, M. Burns; D. Clifford, K. Spillane, D. Geaney. 

Subs: S. Murphy, D. Casey, T. Brosnan, A. Heinrich, C. Geaney, E. Looney, S. O’Brien, T.L. O’Sullivan, D. Lyne, C. Trant, R. Murphy, D. Bourke, D. Moynihan.

MAYO (SFC v Donegal): C Reape; J Coyne, R Brickenden, E Hession; S Coen, D McBrien, P Durcan; D Thornton, M Ruane; C Dawson, J Carney, J Flynn; A O’Shea, D McHale, R O’Donoghue.

Subs: A Phillips, B Tuohy, Davitt Neary, D O'Connor, D McHugh, F Kelly, F Boland, F Irwin, P Towey, S Callinan, S Morahan.

DERRY (SFC v Dublin): O. Lynch; D. Baker, E. McEvoy, P. McGurk; C. Doherty, B. Rogers, P. McGrogan; C. Glass (c), D. Higgins; E. Doherty, P. Cassidy, C. McFaul; S. McGuigan, N. Loughlin, N. Toner. 

Subs: B. McKinless, C. McCluskey, R. Mulholland, D. McDermott, T. Rogers, A. Tohill, R. Forbes, L. Murray, C. McMonagle, C. Devlin, B. McCarron.

ROSCOMMON (SFC v Cork): C. Carroll; P. Frost, B. Stack (c), D. Murray; R. Daly, C. Neary, S. Lambe; E. Nolan, S. Cunnane; D. Ruane, E. Smith, C. Murtagh; D. Cregg, D. Murtagh, B. O’Carroll. 

Subs: A. Brady, R. Dolan, R. Fallon, K. Doyle, D. Smith, C. Hand, J. McManus, D. Kenny, S. Killoran, C. McKeon, C. Lennon.

LAOIS (SHC v Tipperary): C. Dunne; C. Comerford, L. Cleere, D. Conway; R. Mullaney, P. Delaney, J. Walshe; F.C. Fennell, D. Dooley (c); A. Corby, T. Keyes, P. Purcell; M. Dowling, B. Conroy, J. Keyes. 

Subs: E. Fleming, P. Dunne, D. Hartnett, T. Cuddy, E. Gaughan, J. Lennon, M. Phelan, A. Dunphy, J. Duggan, P.J. Scully, C. Byrne.

ARMAGH (SFC v Galway): E. Rafferty; P. Burns, B. McCambridge, P. McGrane; R. McQuillan, T. Kelly; J. Burns; J. Duffy, N. Grimley; D. McMullan, R. O'Neill, O. Conaty; S. Campbell, A. Murnin, C. Turbitt. 

Subs: B. Hughes, T. McCormack, G. McCabe, C. Mackin, A. McKay, J. McElroy, C. McConville, C. O'Neill, A. Forker, S. McPartlan, J. Hall.

GALWAY (SFC v Armagh): C. Gleeson; J. McGrath, S. Fitzgerald, J. Glynn; D. McHugh, S. Kelly (c), L. Silke; P. Conroy, J. Maher; C. McDaid, R. Finnerty, C. McDaid; M. Tierney, S. Walsh, M. Thompson. 

Subs: C. Flaherty, D. O’Flaherty, C. Sweeney, K. Molloy, S. Ó Maoilchiaráin, P. Cooke, J. Daly, C. Hernon, J. Heaney, T. Culhane, D. Comer.