Offaly keep faith with promotion winning team for Leinster SFC opener

AS expected, Offaly have kept faith with the team that won then National Football League Division 3 title for Sunday's big Leinster Senior Football Championship opener against Meath in Navan.

They have had a settled team in recent games and the same fifteen have been named by joint managers Declan Kelly and Mickey Harte.

Their panel has been strengthened by the return of some injured players. Ruari McNamee has recovered from a hamstring injury and has come on in the past couple of games while defender David Dempsey, emerging midfielder Cillian Bourke and forward, Eoin Sawyer have also been named in the subs.

Offaly have been reluctant to use subs in recent games but recent games and McNamee, Dempsey and Bourke could certainly see action on Sunday while Aaron Leavy and Nigel Dunne have been used regularly and Marcas Dalton has got a couple of chances.

Bourke's return from a knee injury is a bonus. He was going very well before getting injured and has missed Offaly's three Leinster U20 football games to date. A Leaving Certificate student at Colaiste Choilm in Tullamore, he is very young but looks to be the real deal and Offaly are crying out for the emergence of a ball winning, hard running midfielder in his mould.

Jack McEvoy and Jordan Hayes have performed well for Offaly this year, working very hard but winning primary possession from kickouts has been a problem on occasions.

Eoin Sawyer, a Dublin man with a Clara father, declared a couple of years ago under the parentage rule and returns to the panel after a long lay off. Diarmuid Egan, older brother of wing back, Cormac is still not back from a hamstring injury and that is a pity as he had been going very well in the first couple of games.

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Offaly have played very well to date and supporters are optimistic about their prospects here. The new rules have suited them and some of the 2021 All-Ireland U20 champions have found their top form.

They are underdogs for this game but it is not far off a 50-50 one. Meath will be tighter than Kildare were in the league final and have a lot of strength around the middle but Offaly have a definite chance and will be aiming to take their opponents on at full pace – the speed of their movement and running has set the pulse racing in some games this year.

While Offaly have generally gone with the team they have named this year, the possibility of late changes can never be ruled out – though it was always expected that they would start the fifteen that has gone out in recent games and it would be very hard on any of those players to leave them off at this stage, unless injury or something else happens.

OFFALY: Paddy Dunican (Shamrocks); Lee Pearson (Edenderry), Aidan Bracken (Ballycommon); Daire McDaid (Tullamore); Rory Egan (Edenderry). John Furlong (Tullamore), Cormac Egan (Tullamore); Jack McEvoy (Clonbullogue), Jordan Hayes (Edenderry); Kyle Higgins (Ferbane), Cathal Flynn (Ferbane), Keith O'Neill (Clonbullogue); Dylan Hyland (Raheen), Jack Bryant (Shamrocks), Shane Tierney (Daingean). Subs – Sean O'Toole (Shamrocks), Cillian Bourke (Tullamore), Marcas Dalton (Clara), David Dempsey (Ballycommon), Cathal Donoghue (Kilcormac-Killoughey), Nigel Dunne (Shamrocks), Shane O'Toole-Greene (Shamrocks), Aaron Leavy (Tullamore), Ruari McNamee (Rhode), Eoin Sawyer (Castleknock, Dublin), Morgan Tynan (Ballinagar).