Meath to show five new faces

Meath have named five newcomers in the side to face Dublin in Sunday's Leinster Senior Football Championship quarter-final at…

Meath have named five newcomers in the side to face Dublin in Sunday's Leinster Senior Football Championship quarter-final at Croke Park.

The debutants are full back Kevin Reilly, left wing back Caoimhin King, centre forward Peadar Byrne, left wing forward Stephen Bray and left corner forward Brian Farrell.

The team will be missing Trevor Giles, who hasn't even been named on the bench. Apart from the serious loss of Giles, the side will be strengthened from the team that lost the Division Two league final to Monaghan in April with the return of AllIreland medallists Mark O'Reilly and Nigel Crawford.

Derry introduce three debutants for Sunday's opening championship match against Monaghan in Clones. Paul Wilson, at right wing back, Mark Lynch at centre forward and Paul Bradley at right corner forward are all making their first championship start.

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Lynch did come on as a replacement in last year's All-Ireland semi-final against Kerry, but has featured regularly for the county in the league as well as performing well for UUJ in the Sigerson Cup. An All-Ireland winning minor in 2002, Lynch won an under-16 county medal just six days after the Croke Park victory over Meath.

Overall, the side shows six changes from the one that exited in last year's semi-final. Gone are Niall McCusker, Fergal McEldowney, Paul McFlynn, James Donaghy, Conleth Moran and Johnny Bradley, replaced by Wilson, Lynch, Paul Bradley, Gerard O'Kane, Paul Murphy and Kevin McCloy.

Seán Marty Lockhart lines out at centre back for the first time in championship, having made his other appearances at full back and corner back.

Mickey Moran's side also have strength on the bench where two young forwards of whom a great deal is expected in the future will be ready to take the field.

Eoin Bradley is a brother of team captain Paddy and between them they scored 3-12 in a recent club league match - Eoin notching up 2-5 to add to the 1-7 he scored the previous week.

He broke his leg last year in the McKenna Cup and only returned to action this spring. His only appearance for the county was for 10 minutes against Meath in the NFL in which time he helped turn around a seven-point deficit.

Colin Devlin of Ballinderry is the other highly rated forward. He has also been scoring prolifically for his club. Most significantly in the context of the weekend's match, Lockhart, Fergal Doherty and Enda Muldoon.

MEATH (SF v Dublin): D Gallagher; M O'Reilly, K Reilly, N McKeigue; D Crimmins, D Fay, C King; N Crawford, A Moyles; N Kelly, P Byrne, S Bray; J Sheridan, G Geraghty, B Farrell.

DERRY (SF v Monaghan): B Gillis; K McGuckin, K McCloy, G O'Kane; P Wilson, SM Lockhart, P Kelly; F Doherty, Patsy Bradley; J McBride, M Lynch, P Murphy; Paul Bradley, Paddy Bradley (capt.), E Muldoon.

CAVAN (SF v Antrim): J Reilly; M Hannon, D Rabbitt, K Fennin; K Crotty, P Reilly, M Cahill; D McCabe, P McKenna; M McKeever, N Walsh, F O'Reilly; J O'Reilly, J Tierney, L Reilly.

Seán Moran

Seán Moran

Seán Moran is GAA Correspondent of The Irish Times