DESSIE FINNEGAN RETURNS to the Louth full-back line as the Wee County prepare to meet All-Ireland champions Dublin in the Leinster SFC quarter-finals this Sunday.
The St Patrick’s clubman missed the opening round victory against Westmeath as he was away on his honeymoon, but he returns for the Croke Park clash with Liam Shevlin making way.
That change aside, Peter Fitzpatrick has stuck with the same XV which started in Navan a fortnight ago. Wing-back Declan Byrne has shaken off the injury which forced him off during the second half that day while Ray Finnegan and Jamie Carr have both proven their fitness following minor niggles.
Dublin have named 12 of the 15 players which started last September’s All-Ireland final win against Kerry, with 2010 footballer of the year Bernard Brogan due to make his first start of the season after sitting out the league campaign through a combination of holidays and injury.
Louth: Neil Gallagher; Padraig Rath, Dessie Finnegan, Gerard Hoey; Ray Finnegan, Jamie Carr, Declan Byrne; Paddy Keenan, Ronan Carroll; Derek Crilly, Mark Brennan, Adrian Reid; Derek Maguire, Jim McEnaney, Darren Clarke.
Dublin: Stephen Cluxton; Philly McMahon, Rory O’Carroll, Michael Fitzsimons; James McCarthy, Ger Brennan, Kevin Nolan; Eamonn Fennell, Michael Dara Macauley; Bryan Cullen (c), Alan Brogan, Paul Flynn; Diarmuid Connolly, Kevin McManamon, Bernard Brogan.
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INJURIES HAVE FORCED Wexford football manager Jason Ryan into a number of changes ahead of Sunday’s Leinster SFC quarter-final against Longford.
Corner-back Aindreas Doyle misses out due to a hamstring injury picked up while in action for Parnell’s in the Dublin SFC, so Rob Tierney fills in alongside Niall Murphy and Graeme Molloy.
Andrew Shore could face up to six weeks out with knee and ankle injuries picked up in training, and he’s replaced in midfield by Rory Quinlivan.
Glenn Ryan has named an unchanged Longford XV from the side which beat Laois in the preliminary round. Paul Barden, scorer of the goal that sparked Longford’s second-half revival that day, captains the side again from the half-forward line where he is joined by brother David and Niall Mulligan.
Wexford: Anthony Masterson; Niall Murphy, Graeme Molloy, Rob Tierney; Adrian Flynn, David Murphy, Brian Malone; Daithi Waters, Rory Quinlivan; Colm Morris, Shane Roche, Ben Brosnan; Ciaran Lyng, Eric Bradley, Redmond Barry.
Longford: Damien Sheridan; Dermot Brady, Barry Gilleran, Declan Reilly; Colm Smith, Michael Quinn, Shane Mulligan; Bernard McElvanney, John Keegan; David Barden, Paul Barden (c), Niall Mulligan; Donal McElligott, Brian Kavanagh, Sean McCormack.
