IRELAND BOSS PAUL Earley has named his provisional panel for the upcoming International Rules series against Australia.
A 29-man squad has been named but that is expected to be cut back to 23 players before the first test in Kingspan Breffni Park on October 19th.
15 counties are represented in the squad with beaten All-Ireland finalists Mayo having the largest representation with four.
All-Ireland champions Dublin have three players in the frame as do Cork, Laois and Donegal.
There are two players from Galway, Tyrone and Monaghan while Kildare, Derry, Westmeath, Armagh, Louth, Meath and Wexford have one player each.
Michael Murphy has been named Irish captain with Cork’s Aidan Walsh confirmed as the vice-captain.
Colm Begley and Michael Murphy celebrate in 2011
Pic: INPHO/James Crombie
There are eight survivors from the Irish squad that toured Australia in 2011 – Murphy, Walsh, Ciaran McKeever, Finian Hanley, Darren Hughes, Neil McGee, Colm Begley and Zach Tuohy, the only AFL-based player in the Irish squad.
The Ireland squad in full is:
2. Colm Begley – Laois
3. Colm Boyle – Mayo
4. Ciaran Byrne – Louth
5. Sean Cavanagh – Tyrone
6. Paul Conroy – Galway
7. John Doyle – Kildare
8. Paul Flynn – Dublin
9. Finian Hanley – Galway
10. John Heslin – Westmeath
11. Darren Hughes – Monaghan
12. Lee Keegan – Mayo
13. Ciaran Kilkenny – Dublin
14. Paddy McBrearty – Donegal
15. Jack McCaffrey – Dublin
16. Niall Morgan – Tyrone
17. Neil McGee – Donegal
18. Chrissy McKaigue – Derry
19. Ciaran McKeever – Armagh
20. Kevin McLoughlin – Mayo
21. Conor McManus – Monaghan
22. Ross Munnelly – Laois
23. Michael Murphy – Donegal (captain)
24. Aidan O’Shea – Mayo
25. Ciaran Sheehan – Cork
26. Michael Shields – Cork
27. Zach Tuohy – Carlton & Laois
28. Aidan Walsh – Cork (vice captain)
29. Daithi Waters – Wexford
