Team news: Kevin McStay maintaining Mayo momentum as Shane Walsh to make first start this season for Galway

Diarmuid O'Connor of Mayo

Colm Keys Twitter Email

March 17 2023 07:43 PM

Shane Walsh will start his first league game of the season for Galway against Armagh Saturday evening.

Walsh came off the bench and was an influence in the last round against Monaghan, helping them to secure a six-point win in Pearse Stadium. He had been in Australia for a few weeks in the aftermath of Kilmacud Crokes' All-Ireland club success.

And he will replace Rob Finnerty now, one of three changes Galway make from the Monaghan game.

Sean Fitzgerald comes into the full-back line for Eoghan Kelly while the suspended Peter Cooke is replaced by John Maher, a substitute against Monaghan.

Mayo show no sign of applying the brakes to their Allianz Division 1 league campaign, with manager Kevin McStay again naming a strong team for their game with Donegal, showing just three changes from the side that started against Roscommon last time out.

Goalkeeper Colm Reape comes back in for Rory Byrne while Ryan O'Donoghue and Aidan O'Shea, who came off the bench in Roscommon, replace Cillian O'Connor and Tommy Conroy.

The game in Ballybofey is a milestone for Diarmuid O'Connor, who, in his 10th season, is playing his 100th competitive game since making his debut against Kildare.

Meanwhile, Meath manager Colm O'Rourke has replaced one-third of his starting team in response to their draw in Limerick two weeks ago for their game with Dublin.

Shane Walsh has been ruled out with injury, but Daniel O'Neill, Ross Ryan, Cillian O'Sullivan and Shane McEntee make way too.

Padraig Harnan returns to centre-back, with Harry O'Higgins and Cathal Hickey also back in defence after suspension and injury.

Jack O'Connor moves to attack while Shane Crosby and Diarmuid Moriarty are also added.

Armagh make two changes for their home Division 1 football league game against Galway tomorrow evening in the Athletic Grounds. Paddy Burns and Conor Turbitt make way as Tiernan Kelly and Rory Grugan are named to start.

Gavin White has been recalled to the Kerry team for his first action of 2023 for the Allianz Division 1 game with Roscommon in Tralee.

All-Star White has been out of action for a number of months with a knee injury, taking him out of Kerry's first five league games.
But Jack O'Connor has named him at left half-back, displacing Pa Warren who reverts to the bench.

There is further good news with Diarmuid O'Connor's recovery from an ankle injury sustained in a pre-season game and he takes his place among the substitutes where Paul Geaney is also named.

White's recall is one of three changes with Barry Dan O'Sullivan coming back in for the injured Stefan Okunbor at midfield and Donal O'Sullivan replacing Darragh Roche in the full-forward line.

New Limerick manager Mark Fitzgerald will have to do without former All-Star nominee Iain Corbett for his first game in charge as they welcome Kildare to the Gaelic Grounds on Sunday, a game both counties need to win.

Corbett and Killian Ryan have been excluded as Paul Ryan and Adrian Enright come into the team.

Fitzgerald, a member of the outgoing backroom team, replaced Ray Dempsey late last week after Dempsey stepped down with just five rounds of the league played.

Mayo (SF v Donegal): C Reape; J Coyne, D McBrien, S Callinan; S Coen, C Loftus, P Durcan; M Ruane, D O'Connor; F McDonagh, J Carney, J Flynn; A O'Shea, J Carr, R O'Donoghue.

Meath (SF v Dublin): H Hogan; A O'Neill, M Flood, H O'Higgins; D Keoghan, P Harnan, C Hickey; R Jones, J Flynn; J O'Connor, J Scully, S Crosby; J Morris, M Costello, D Moriarty. Subs: S Brennan, C O'Sullivan, R Ryan, E Harkin, R Clarke, D McGowan, A Lynch, T O'Reilly, D Lenihan, K Curtis, B Conlon.

Armagh (SF v Galway): E Rafferty; B McCambridge, A McKay, A Forker; Ciaran Mackin, G McCabe, J Og Burns; S Campbell, T Kelly; C Cummiskey, R Grugan, J McElroy; R O'Neill, A Murnin, J Duffy.

Galway (SF v Armagh): C Gleeson; J McGrath, S Kelly, S Fitzgerald; D McHugh, J Daly, D O'Flaherty; P Conroy, P Kelly; M Tierney, J Heaney, J Maher; Patrick Kelly, S Walsh, C Sweeney.

Kerry (SF v Roscommon): S Ryan; G O'Sullivan, J Foley, T O'Sullivan; P Murphy, T Morley, G White; J Barry, B D O'Sullivan; D Moynihan, S O'Shea, P Clifford; T Brosnan, D Clifford, D O'Sullivan. Subs: S Murphy, P Warren, M Burns, D Casey, J O'Shea, G Horan, K Spillane, R Murphy, P Geaney, D O'Connor, B Friel.

Limerick (SF v Kildare): D O'Sullivan; M O'Donovan, S O'Dea, B Fanning; B Coleman, C McSweeney, T McCarthy; C Downes, C Fahy; P Maher, J Naughton, C Sheehan; A Enright, B Donovan, H Bourke.