Mayo opt to stick with tried and trusted

Mayo, All-Ireland finalists of the past two years, have named 13 of the team that lost last September's final to Kerry for Sunday…

Mayo, All-Ireland finalists of the past two years, have named 13 of the team that lost last September's final to Kerry for Sunday's Church & General National Football League quarter-final against Derry.

Only Dermot Flanagan, now retired, and John Casey, on the bench, are missing from that line-up and their places are taken by David Brady and Ray Dempsey, respectively.

The team shows no changes from that which beat Laois in Crossmolina last month to clinch a place in the quarter-finals. There are some positional changes since the championship which provide a reasonable indicator of manager John Maughan's thinking with the Connacht first-round game against Galway less than eight weeks away.

David Heaney continues to hold down the full back position although he remains a short-term option in that position given that he was in difficulties the last day against Hugh Emerson. Furthermore, Kevin Cahill is making good progress in recovering from injury and his return looks imminent.

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Liam McHale currently fills the centre forward position after last year's latest instalment in his unhappy history at full forward where Ray Dempsey has been restored to the team after missing out altogether on last summer's championship.

Cork manager Larry Tompkins has made five changes to the team shocked by Wicklow last month. Ronan McCarthy and Fionan Murray are suspended, Martin Cronin recovering from an operation and Michael O'Donovan and Brian Collins also drop out.

In for Sunday's Croke Park date with Donegal come Anthony Lynch who came on as a substitute in Aughrim, Donagh Wiseman, Nicholas Murphy, Brendan Walsh and Alan O'Regan. Tompkins believes the team has improved since last year when Cork reached the final.

"That experience should stand to us. They're certainly sharper than during last year's run and a lot of those involved then will be playing again."

Of the positional changes, the switching of current county hurlers Brian Corcoran, to full back, and Sean O hAilpin to replace him at centre back are the most obvious while the endlessly versatile Ciaran O'Sullivan moves back to wing back from the half forwards.

Meanwhile, Donegal manager Declan Bonner has made three changes to the team that beat London. All-Ireland winning defender Barry McGowan will make his first start for the team in the current league season. He comes in at corner back for Mark Crossan, Noel Hegarty replaces Martin Bonnar at left wing back and IT Tralee's Sigerson Cup winner Jim McGuinness comes in at midfield for John Haran.

Both Offaly and Galway, who face each other at Hyde Park in one of the quarter-finals, will name their sides this morning.

In the one remaining regulation league fixture Clare play Tipperary in Section D. A certain amount rides on the result and were Clare to lose by 18 points or were Tipperary to manage a draw or better, the result would leave Roscommon facing life in Division Four.

According to county PRO Des Crowe, this will be Clare's 300th National League fixture and Frankie Griffin's 105th - a statistic which places him level with former county colleague Noel Roche's record of league appearances.

Cork (SF v Donegal): M Maguire; O Sexton, B Corcoran, A Lynch; C O'Sullivan, S O hAilpin, D Wiseman; N Murphy, M Monaghan; B Walsh, J Kavanagh, C Crowley; A O'Regan, P Hegarty, A Dorgan.

Mayo (SF v Derry): P Burke; K Mortimer, D Heaney, P Holmes; F Costello, J Nallen, N Connelly; P Fallon, D Brady, J Horan, L McHale, C McManamon; K McDonald, R Dempsey, M Sheridan.

Donegal (SF v Cork): P Callaghan; B McGowan, JJ Doherty, D Diver; N McGinley, M Coll, N Hegarty; J McGuinness, J Ruane; S Carr, A Sweeney, B Roper; J Duffy, T Boyle, B Devenney,

Clare (SF v Tipperary): J Hanrahan; E McGuane, F Griffin, D O'Driscoll; B Keating, P Gallagher, A Malone; B Rouine, B O'Sullivan; J Enright, S Hehir, F McInerney; G Keane, M Daly, C O'Loughlin.

Clare (SH v Tipperary): J O'Brien; J Kennirons, R Woods, B Scanlan; T Fahy, D Hegarty, A Daly; F Flood, F Hegarty; D Scanlan, F Tuohy, M Conlon; P O'Rourke, T Corbett, B Murphy.