STEPHEN ROCHFORD HAS opted to start Mayo’s Connacht SFC quarter-final on Sunday without talisman Aidan O’Shea.
Rochford named his team this morning with Ger Cafferkey returning from an injury layoff to start at full-back, despite not playing a minute of league football this spring.
O’Shea is the notable absentee having only returned to action for the latter stages of the Division 1 campaign. The Breaffy man missed the majority of the league after hurting his ankle while training with the Sligo All Stars basketball team in January.
He made appearances off the bench in Mayo’s final two games against Tyrone and Donegal, and Rochford has decided to keep the 26-year-old in reserve for Sunday’s tie in Castlebar.
Elsewhere, 2016 All-Star defender Brendan Harrison is ruled out through injury, while youngster Fergal Boland makes his first championship start at wing-forward.
Sligo remain unchanged from their preliminary round win over New York.
Mayo
1. David Clarke (Ballina Stephenites)
2. Chris Barrett (Belmulet)
3. Ger Cafferkey (Ballina Stephenites)
4. Keith Higgins (Ballyhaunis)
5. Colm Boyle (Davitts)
6. Lee Keegan (Westport)
7. Patrick Durcan (Castlebar Mitchels)
8. Seamus O’Shea (Breaffy)
9. Tom Parsons (Charlestown)
10. Fergal Boland (Aghamore)
11. Diarmuid O’Connor (Ballintubber)
12. Conor O’Shea (Breaffy)
13. Kevin McLoughlin (Knockmore)
14. Cillian O’Connor (Ballintubber)
15. Andy Moran (Ballaghaderreen)
Sligo
1. Aidan Devaney
2. Ross Donavan
3. Charlie Harrison
4. Eoin McHugh
5. Keelan Cawley
6. Brendan Egan
7. John Kelly
8. Paddy O’Connor
9. Adrian McIntyre
10. Neil Ewing
11. Mark Breheny
12. Kyle Cawley
13. Stephen Coen
14. Pat Hughes
15. Adrian Marren
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