Tullamore brothers given defensive roles as Offaly football team announced for league opener

THE Offaly team has been announced for Sunday's National Football League Division 2 opener against Louth in Tullamore.

There are no big surprises in it but there are some interesting positional selections and it remains to be seen what way the team lines out. So far this year, team management have lined out the team as selected, resisting the urge to name dummy teams before hand.

Tullamore brothers Cormac and Diarmuid Egan are named on the half back line after playing in the attack in the O'Byrne Cup. That made sense as both are better attacking from deep, especially Cormac who is well capable of playing in the attack but is not on as much ball as Offaly need, not breaking the line enough further up field.

Rory Egan, however, has been named at wing forward. While he has spent extended periods attacking forward in the O'Byrne Cup, he is much more accustomed to playing in defence and there is likely to be plenty of interchanging between him and one of the Tullamore Egan's.

There is a league debut for a new import from Dublin, Ciaran Murphy. The Skerries Harps man declared for Offaly under the parentage rule this year – his mother is a McGovern from Bracknagh - and made his mark in the O'Byrne Cup. Another Dublin import Eoin Sawyer is selected at corner forward while Jack Bryant has won his place back after having a subs role in the O'Byrne Cup.

SEE NEXT: New players get chance as Offaly hurling team released for Kilkenny showdown

OFFALY: Sean O'Toole (Shamrocks); Shane O'Toole-Greene (Shamrocks), David Dempsey (Ballycommon), Lee Pearson (Edenderry); Cormac Egan (Tullamore), Jordan Hayes (Edenderry), Diarmuid Egan (Tullamore); Jack McEvoy (Clonbullogue), Aaron Leavy (Tullamore); Ciaran Murphy (Skerries Harps), Keith O'Neill (Clonbullogue), Rory Egan (Edenderry); Darragh Flynn (Ferbane), Jack Bryant (Shamrocks), Eoin Sawyer (Castleknock). Subs – Conor Melia (Bracknaggh), Sean Conway (Ballycommon), Eoin Dunne (Clodiagh Gaels), Marcas Dalton (Clara), Robbie Gallagher (Ballinagar), Harry Goulding (Edenderry), Daire McDaid (Tullamore), Dan Molloy (St Brigid's), Harry Plunkett (Tullamore), Nathan Poland (Erin Rovers), Cathal Ryan (Daingean).