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Mayo's Richie Feeney. INPHO/Donall Farmer
new faces

Feeney replaces O’Connor in Mayo attack to face Roscommon

The teams meet in next Sunday’s Connacht semi-final clash.

RICHIE FEENEY HAS been selected at centre-forward on the Mayo team to face Roscommon in the Connacht semi-final next Sunday.

Feeney gets the nod by manager James Horan to replace injured attacker Cillian O’Connor.

O’Connor suffered a serious shoulder injury in a club game for Ballintubber at the end of May, a week after starring in Mayo’s provincial quarter-final win over Galway.

The inclusion of Feeney is the only change from that comprehensive victory over the Tribesmen in Pearse Stadium.

Andy Moran, who made his comeback from cruciate damage against Galway, is not included in the starting  fifteen. But given Mayo altered their team line-up before the start of the Galway match, the Ballaghaderreen man could be drafted in come throw-in at Castlebar on Sunday.

There are nine survivors from the Mayo side that  defeated Roscommon by 0-13 to 0-11 in the 2011 Connacht decider, the last senior championship meeting between the counties.

Keith Higgins, Tom Cunniffe, Richie Feeney, Donal Vaughan, Aidan and Seamus O’Shea, Kevin McLoughlin, Alan Dillon and Alan Freeman all started in that game.

MAYO: David Clarke (Ballina Stephenites); Tom Cunniffe (Castlebar Mitchells), Ger Cafferkey (Ballina Stephenites), Keith Higgins (Ballyhaunis); Lee Keegan (Westport), Donal Vaughan (Ballinrobe), Colm Boyle (Davitts); Aidan O’Shea (Breaffy), Seamus O’Shea (Breaffy); Kevin McLoughlin (Knockmore), Richie Feeney (Castlebar Mitchels), Cathal Carolan (Crossmolina); Enda Varley (Garrymore), Alan Freeman (Aghamore), Alan Dillon (Ballintubber).

The Mayo and Roscommon teams before the 2011 Connacht final.
Pic: INPHO/Cathal Noonan

Roscommon

Opposition boss John Evans has handed out two championship debuts for Roscommon for the game to goalkeeper Darren O’Malley and wing-back Conor Daly.

Ace attacker Donal Shine is not named to start after battling a hamstring injury recently while St Brigid’s All-Ireland club winning duo Ian Kilbride and Darragh Donnelly both  miss the game through injury.

Attacker Donal Keane, who was centre-forward on the Roscommon team that lost last year’s All-Ireland U21 final, is another player to be sidelined through injury.

Three of his team-mates from that game – the Daly brothers and corner-forward Donal Smith – are in the Roscommon senior side for Sunday’s game in Elvery’s McHale Park in Castlebar.

There are nine survivors from the Roscommon side that lost out to Mayo two years ago – Seanie McDermott, Niall Carty, David Keenan, Michael Finneran, Karol Mannion, Kevin Higgins, Cathal Cregg, Conor Devaney and Senan Kilbride.

Both Mannion and Kilbride won All-Ireland senior club medals with St Brigid’s against Ballymun Kickhams last St Patrick’s Day.

ROSCOMMON: Darren O’Malley (Michael Glavey’s); Neil Collins (St Kevin’s Castlerea), Niall Carty (Padraig Pearses), Seanie McDermott (Western Gaels); David Keenan (St Barry’s), Niall Daly (Padraig Pearses), Conor Daly (Padraig Pearses); Kevin Higgins (Western Gaels), Michael Finneran (St Dominic’s); Conor Devaney (Kilbride), Karol Mannion (St Brigid’s), Cathal Cregg (Western Gaels); Donal Smith (Boyle), Senan Kilbride (St Brigid’s), David O’Gara (Roscommon Gaels).

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