Mayo make change for visit to Cavan

The Mayo team that launches its All-Ireland Championship campaign against Cavan on Sunday shows one change from that which started the Connacht SFC final defeat to Galway.

Sam Callinan, who replaced an injured David McBrien early into that game, retains his place at the expense of Diarmuid O’Connor, who also retired through injury at half-time.

But while McBrien has been named to start, O’Connor does not feature at all in the match-day 26, with a call-up instead to Bob Tuohy who is joined on the substitute’s bench by his Castlebar Mitchels clubmate Paddy Durcan.

Durcan, the Mayo captain, was an unused sub in the Green and Red’s two points loss to the Tribesmen but could feature at some point against Cavan, almost a year since sustaining a cruciate injury against the same opposition also in the All-Ireland Series.

Attacking ace Tommy Conroy remains an absentee from the panel despite expectations he would return to action prior to the end of the Allianz Football League. However, Mayo’s fourth highest scorer of all-time, Ryan O'Donoghue will make his 70th league and championship appearance. The Belmullet man made his debut against Donegal in the Allianz Football League in January 2020. He has amassed 11-273 in his 69 appearances to date, behind Cillian O'Connor, Conor Mortimer and Joe Corcoran.

Mayo (v Cavan): Colm Reape; Jack Coyne, Donnacha McHugh, Rory Brickenden; Sam Callinan, David McBrien, Enda Hession; Stephen Coen, Matthew Ruane; Davitt Neary, Jack Carney, Jordan Flynn; Aidan O’Shea, Darren McHale, Ryan O’Donoghue. Subs: Arian Phillips, Bob Tuohy, Conal Dawson, Conor Reid, Dylan Thornton, Fenton Kelly, Fergal Boland, Frank Irwin, Kevin Quinn, Paddy Durcan, Paul Towey.