Team Check: Two newcomers for Kildare

Kildare SF

Manager Mick O'Dwyer has given championship debuts to Pat Murray and Kenny Duane for Sunday's meeting with Carlow at Croke Park. Murray is named at half forward and Duane at half back. Both players are from the Moorefield club and featured regularly during Kildare's National League campaign.

With Glen Ryan and Willie McCreery back in the side following injury, the only other big surprise is that Niall Buckley and Martin Lynch are both left on the bench. But having missed a number of months of competitive football, it was always going to be difficult to walk straight into a starting place.

Ruled out through injury were Tadgh Fennin, Eddie McCormack and David Hughes. John Doyle starts at corner forward alongside Brian Murphy and Padraig Brennan. Karl O'Dwyer gets a starting place at centre forward next to Dermot Earley.

Ronan Sweeney moves back to centrefield to partner McCreery while Martin Ryan takes over at full back, with Ronan Quinn starting on the bench.

Kildare (v Carlow): C Byrne; B Lacey, M Ryan, K Doyle; K Duane, G Ryan, A Rainbow; W McCreery, R Sweeney; P Murray, K O'Dwyer, D Earley; P Brennan, B Murphy, J Doyle. Subs: E Murphy, R Quinn, N Buckley, M Lynch, K Brennan, G Ware, M Wright, C Davey, J Finn.

Meath SF

Sean Boylan last night decided to delay naming the team to face Westmeath because of injury concerns as well as uncertainties over a few key positions. It may be tomorrow night before the team is announced but it is expected to include a number of championship debutants.

Nigel Nestor was the main injury worry at training last night, but it also remains to be seen who will take over the midfield spot vacated by the retired John McDermott. Trevor Giles is also troubled with a back injury but that is unlikely to keep him out of the starting line-up.

Westmeath SF

Martin Flanagan is back in the starting line-up to face Meath in Croke Park on Sunday. Flanagan struggled with injury in the latter stages of the league, although he did make an appearance as a substitute in the Division Two final win over Cork.

Other changes from that team is the role of Rory O'Connell at midfield, where he will partner David O'Shaughnessy. Brian Morley moves to half back and Paul Conway to centre forward, while Flanagan will start at corner forward alongside Des Dolan and captain Ger Heavin.

Flanagan is also one of just seven survivors from the team that fell to Dublin in the Leinster semifinal last year - the others being Fergal Murray, Damien Healy, O'Connell, Conway, Heavin and Dolan.

Westmeath (SF v Meath): C Mullin; K Keane, D Mitchell, F Murray; B Morley, D Healy, A Canning; R O'Connell, D O'Shaughnessy; F Wilson, P Conway, M Ennis; M Flanagan, D Dolan, G Heavin.

Carlow SF

Manager Pat Roe has delayed naming his team to face Kildare until later today because of a number of injury worries. The most pressing of those is John McGrath, who is still troubled by the ankle injury that ruled him out of his midfield position for the replay with Wicklow.

On that occasion, Alan Bowe was moved from corner forward to midfield to take over from McGrath and Johnny Kavanagh came into the starting line-up with half-forward Pat Nolan going to Bowe's position but it remains to be seen if Roe will go for that same formation.

Antrim SF

Five players will make their debuts in the Antrim team to face Derry - two defenders, one midfielder and two forwards. Tony Convery gets the nod at full back, as does Gavin Bell at corner back, and John Barr will get his first start when partnering Joe Quinn at midfield.

Owen Quinn at half forward and Paul Close at full forward also get their first championship starts, while Kevin Brady survived his injury scare to take his place at corner forward. Ruled out through a succession of illness and injury was Kevin Madden, but otherwise there are nine members of the team surviving that fell to Derry last year.

Antrim (SF v Derry): S McGreevy; M Mulholland, T Convery, G Bell; G Adams, A Morris, J Kelly; J Quinn, J Barr; A Finnegan, P Logan, O Quinn; K Brady, P Close, P McCann.

Derry SF

Manager Eamonn Coleman will later today release his team to face Antrim at Celtic Park. The main injury worry is Niall McCusker, who alternated between half back and half forward last summer. He suffered a recurrence of a hamstring injury last week and is almost certainly ruled out.

Kilkenny SH

DJ Carey is extremely doubtful for Kilkenny's first outing in the Leinster championship against Offaly on Sunday week. He had to be taken from the field at Nowlan Park on Friday evening after going over on his ankle.

Later it was revealed that he has torn ligaments in the ankle that he damaged in a club match a few weeks back. And while he has little chance of playing against arch-rivals Offaly, he will be given until Wednesday week to prove his fitness. The All Star was sidelined earlier in the year for six weeks with a rib cartilage tear.