All change as Meath's quest begins

All Ireland medal winners Colm Coyle and Martin O'Connell will be entitled to take a nostalgic look around the Croke Park dressing brooms on Sunday when Meath return to GAA Head quarters to face Carlow in the Leinster Senior Football Championship quarter final.

Coyle and O'Connell are the only surviving playing links with the Meath team that captured back to back Sam Maguire crowns in 1987 and 1988, while Colm O'Rourke, as expected, has finally severed his competitive allegiance and will be absent for the first time in 20 years. Robbie O'Malley, PJ Gillic and Brian Stafford, who all figured last season, are also missing from this season's squad.

A further indication of changing times in the Royal County is that four players will be making their championship debuts corner back Mark O'Reilly, full back Darren Fay, wing back Paddy Reynolds, a son of former selector Pat, who also donned the number seven jersey in his playing days, and corner forward Barry Callaghan.

The promoted quartet all figured during Meath's National Football League campaign and, more recently, played key roles in the county's Leinster under 21 success when they beat Louth in last month's final.

And manager Sean Boylan has opted for even more change as Meath commence the quest for a provincial title which has eluded them since 1991. Graham Geraghty, an All Star half back, who played at wing forward for Leinster in the Railway Cup Interprovincial competition, has been given a similar role for Meath on Sunday. He has been named at left half forward in a line which also features Tommy Dowd and Trevor Giles.

Defender Cormac Murphy, who sustained an ankle ligament injury in a challenge match two weeks ago, has failed to recover but would be available for the semi final should Meath overcome Carlow's challenge.

Carlow have left two vacancies in attack to give brothers Joe and Colm Hayden an opportunity to shrug off niggling injuries. The pair will be named at left half forward and full forward respectively if they pass fitness tests.

Another of the Hayden clan, Brendan, who replaced Alan Callinan at half time in the win over Wicklow is named at left half back, with Callinan dropping down to the substitutes bench.

Former Meath player Niall Rennick who played in the two previous matches against Wexford and Wicklow is also named among the substitutes, but could start if Joe Hayden fails to recover from injury.

Antrim, meanwhile, will throw six newcomers to championship action including captains Michael Johnston for their Ulster senior football encounter with last year's finalists Cavan at Casement Park on Sunday.

Johnston, who lines out at fullback, will be joined by Erin's Own club mates Matt Gribber, Dermot McPeake and Adrian Craig as well as goalkeeper Brendan Devlin and Aidan Hannon in making his championship debt.

Kerry midfielder Jerome O'Sullivan who only had the plaster removed from his injured hand last weekend has been named in the side to face Tipperary in the Munster Senior Hurling Championship semi final at Tralee on Saturday evening.

There are four championship debutants in the Kerry team Maurice McCarthy, Ian Brick, TJ Curran and Mike Lawlor, who plays his club hurling with St Finbarrs in Cork.

Leitrim's selectors have given former captain Declan Darcy the role of attack leader for the Connacht senior football championship semi final at Tuam on Sunday.

Gene Bohan will make his senior championship debut at left corner forward, with Noel Moran, who missed most of the National League through injury, returning at half back. Killian McLoughlin assumes the pivotal defensive role to release Darcy into attack.

Galway have delayed naming their side until tonight in order to assess captain Jarlath Fallon's thumb injury.