Hyland shakes up Cavan side

CAVAN MANAGER Terry Hyland has handed championship debuts to five players for their Ulster championship tie with Donegal.

Kevin Meehan, Robert Maloney-Derham, Niall Smith, Jack Brady and Brendan Fitzpatrick are all picked on Cavan’s starting 15 Sunday game.

However, while Jim McGuinness may have declared that Donegal’s main ambition this summer is “to score more”, but it means doing it without his top scorer, at least for the game in Breffni Park.

With Michael Murphy still in the early stages of recovery from minor knee surgery last month, Donegal must look elsewhere for scores on Sunday, the better news there being that Ryan Bradley and Christy Toye are available for selection after some recent injury problems of their own.

Donegal put up 2-14 to Cavan’s 1-8 last year, their highest score of the championship.

Karl Lacey is also back to match fitness, although there are still some doubts over defender Eamon McGee (hamstring) and midfielder Neil Gallagher (ankle).

Laois are also set to welcome back defender Pádraig McMahon for their Leinster opener against Longford. McMahon took a break last year but has featured in a number of challenge games.

Longford’s main injury concerns are over Paul Kelly, still struggling with a hamstring, and David Barden, who missed the Division Three league final with an ankle injury.

Limerick football manager Maurice Horan is also awaiting fitness updates on forward Stephen Kelly and midfielder Jim Donovan ahead of their Munster championship quarter-final against Waterford at the Gaelic Grounds.

CAVAN (SFC v Donegal): J Reilly; P O’Reilly, D Reilly, R Flanagan; K Meehan, J McCutcheon, R Maloney-Derham; D Givney, G McKiernan; F Flanagan, M McKeever, N Smith; J Brady, E Keating, B Fitzpatrick.