Maughan rings the changes

Gaelic Games: John Maughan has made one last shake-up to his Mayo team in a final effort to secure a place in the National Football League semi-finals.

There are five changes for Sunday's meeting with Westmeath in Castlebar, where only a victory will keep them in line for any extended run.

Currently third in Division One A, Mayo are also depending on Tyrone beating Kerry as the latter - while also on eight points - have a better points difference. Only some freak scoring would see Tyrone lose out on the semi-finals at this stage.

Into the Mayo team come forwards Pat Harte, Austin O'Malley and John Prenty while defenders Alan Roche and Conor Moran are also added. It will be Harte's first game since rejoining the panel after helping Ballina to the All-Ireland club title last month.

Among the players dropped, after the four-point loss to Kerry, are forwards Alan Dillon and Trevor Mortimer, who had impressed against Tyrone the previous week.

Opponents Westmeath, whose injury crisis has been well documented, are on the verge of relegation. Denis Glennon is fit to start despite the fears of ankle ligament damage sustained last Sunday against Tyrone, but still missing are major play makers such as Rory O'Connell, Damien Healy and Alan Mangan.

Owen Mulligan has fully recovered from a hamstring injury and returns to the Tyrone side at the expense of Leo Meenan for the trip to Killarney. Brian Dooher is still laid low with flu, while John Devine replaces Pascal McConnell in goal.

In Division One B, Wexford can afford to draw with Laois and still join Armagh in the semi- finals - but manager Pat Roe is clearly not taking any chances. He won't finalise his team until this evening as he awaits final fitness reports on John Hudson, Redmond Barry and Damien Fogarty. Hudson has been in prolific scoring form this season but suffered a foot injury in last Sunday's defeat to Galway.

Laois can still end their campaign on eight points but their neutral points difference is ruling them out of a semi-final place. Manager Mick O'Dwyer has still named a strong team, giving a start to former Kerry minor and under-21 Billy Sheehan at corner forward. Sheehan, who's been training with Laois since last October, appeared as a substitute in last Sunday's defeat to Down, and replaces Donie Brennan.

Donal Miller also gets a start at wing forward, as does Aidan Fennelly in the defence. Joe Higgins is again named among the substitutes.

The final battle for promotion from Division Two is a lot clearer. Fermanagh are certain to rise up from Two A, and not surprisingly manager Charlie Mulgrew has named the same team that beat Clare last Sunday for the final outing against Carlow.

Whoever wins between Monaghan and Longford will join them.

Cavan must beat Meath if they are to join Derry and gain promotion from Two B, but they'll be without corner forward Mickey Graham, who has failed to recover from an ankle injury sustained against Down. There is also a vacancy left at corner back.

Elsewhere, Antrim goalkeeper Seán McGreevy has retired after 14 years county service, believing he no longer had a role to play in the plans of manager Mickey Culbert.

New Roscommon manager Val Daly will be helping to enforce a new code of ethics, which is to be drawn up by the county in an effort to improve disciplinary problems. The announcement was made at Wednesday's county board meeting, where Daly's appointment was ratified until the end of the championship.

WEEKEND TEAMS:

MAYO (SF v Westmeath): D Clarke; L O'Malley, D Heaney, K Higgins; C Moran, A Roche, P Gardiner; R McGarrity, BJ Padden; A Moran, C McDonald, P Harte; C Mortimer, A O'Malley, J Prenty.

LAOIS (SF v Wexford): F Byron; D Conroy, D Rooney, C Begley; A Fennelly, T Kelly, P McDonald; P Clancy, N Garvan; R Munnelly, C Conway, D Miller; S Cooke, S Kelly, B Sheehan.

CAVAN (SF v Meath): J Reilly; M Hannon, D Rabbitt, AN Other; K Crotty, P Reilly, A Gaynor; D McCabe, S Maguire; M Cahill, M McKeever, F O'Reilly; J O'Reilly, J Tierney, G Pierson.

FERMANAGH (SF v Carlow): N Tinney; S Goan, B Owens, R McCloskey; R Johnston, S McDermott, D O'Reilly; M McGrath, L McBarron; E Maguire, T Brewster, M Little; C Bradley, R Gallagher, R Keenan.

TYRONE (SF v Kerry): J Devine; R McMenamin, C Lawn, S Sweeney; J McMahon, G Devlin, P Jordan; C Holmes, S Cavanagh; E McGinley, S O'Neill, M Penrose; R Mellon, O Mulligan, M Coleman.

LIMERICK (SF v Armagh): J Kiely; T Stack, D Sheehy, J McCarthy; P Browne, S Lavin, C Mullane; J Quane, S Lucey; S Kelly, M Gavin, M Crowley; C Fitzgerald, J Galvin, M Reidy.