Pace-setters Galway and Kerry make changes for weekend tussles - Lidl NFL Division 1 team news

PACE-setters Galway have made three changes in personnel for next Monday’s eagerly-anticipated clash with champions Meath in Division 1 of the Lidl National League.

The Páirc Tailteann clash (1.15pm) is one of two live TG4 games on Bank Holiday Monday, with Cork v Dublin to follow from Páirc Uí Rinn at 3pm.

With two wins from two, and fresh from an impressive victory over Dublin in Tuam last Sunday, Galway’s joint-managers Maghnus Breathnach and Fiona Wynne have handed starts to Caoimhe Cleary, Aoife O’Rourke and Chloe Miskell.

They replace Nicola Ward, Megan Glynn and Roisin Leonard in the team that started against the Sky Blues.

Opponents Meath got their campaign up and running with victory over Donegal in Letterkenny, to bounce back from an opening day loss to Dublin.

Royal County boss Davy Nelson has opted for an unchanged starting line-up for the Navan fixture, as Meath meet Galway for the first time since last year’s TG4 All-Ireland Senior Championship quarter-final.

Cork are unbeaten after victory over Mayo and a draw with Waterford – and the Leesiders welcome Dublin to Páirc Uí Rinn on Monday.

Manager Shane Ronayne has made two changes in personnel to the team that started the Déise stalemate, with Sarah Leahy and captain Máire O’Callaghan coming in for Eimear Meaney and Amy Ring.

There are two changes to the Dublin team that lost out to Galway, Martha Byrne comes in for Róisín Baker in defence, while Kate Sullivan replaces Jodi Egan in attack.

The Division 1 action gets underway on Saturday as Kerry, one of two teams with a 100 per cent record, welcome Donegal to Austin Stack Park, Tralee, for a midday start.

There’s real depth now in the Kingdom set up and last year’s Division 2 champions have made a very comfortable start to life in Division 1, with victories over Waterford and Mayo.

Joint-managers Declan Quill and Darragh Long have shuffled their pack for Round 3, with no fewer than eight changes in personnel.

Kayleigh Cronin, Aoife Dillane, Ciara McCarthy, Mary O’Connell, Patrice Diggin, Anna Galvin, Rachel Dwyer and Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh are all handed starts, as Eilís Lynch, Ciara Murphy, Niamh Broderick, Lorraine Scanlon, Caoimhe Evans, Niamh Ní Chonchúir, Hannah O’Donoghue and Erica McGlynn drop out.

2022 runners-up Donegal, who sit on bottom of the pile after two defeats, need to start picking up points to avoid a relegation scrap and there are two changes to the team that lost to champions Meath last time out, with Niamh Carr and Cait Gillespie coming in for Katie Dowds and Susanne White.

On Sunday, there’s one game in Division 1 and that’s the meeting between hosts Waterford and Mayo in Dungarvan (2pm).

Mayo, who are pointless so far, are unchanged following defeat at home to Kerry last weekend, as Waterford boss Pat Sullivan makes one change to the team that drew against Cork, with Sheena McGuckian coming in for Cora Murray.

Meath v Galway and Cork v Dublin are both live on TG4 on Monday https://www.tg4.ie/en/player/watch-live/, while Kerry v Donegal and Waterford v Mayo are both available to view on the LGFA’s live-streaming portal: https://bit.ly/3k9k8CB

 

Kerry (v Donegal): M.E. Bolger; C O’Brien, K Cronin, A Dillane; C McCarthy, E Costello, A O’Connell; M O’Connell, C Lynch; P Diggin, N Carmody, A Galvin; S O’Shea (capt.), R Dwyer, L Ní Mhuircheartaigh.

 

Donegal (v Kerry): A McColgan; N Carr, E McGinley, S Boyle; A Boyle Carr, E Gallagher (capt.), T Hegarty; S Twohig, R Rodgers; J McFadden, K Long, L Ryan; C Gillespie, S McGroddy, C McGarvey.

 

Waterford (v Mayo): E O’Brien; K McGrath, M Dunford; A Murray, E Power, E Murray, H Power; K Hogan, A Waring; A O’Neill, B McMaugh, C McCarthy; A Fitzgerald, L McGregor, S McGuckian.

 

Mayo (v Waterford): L Brennan, É Ronayne, R Flynn, D Caldwell; L Wallace, S Tierney, K Sullivan (capt.); C McManamon, S Cafferky; H Reape, S Howley, M Cannon; L Cafferky, R Kearns, T Needham.

 

Meath (v Galway): M McGuirk; A Sheridan, M.K. Lynch, K Newe; N Gallogly, S Ennis (capt.), A Cleary; M O’Shaughnessy, A Minogue; M Thynne, M Byrne, C Smyth; O Callan, S Grimes, N O’Sullivan.

 

Galway (v Meath): A Griffin; B Quinn, S Ní Loingsigh (capt.), E Gavin; C Cooney, K Geraghty, S Brennan; A Davoren, C Cleary; L Coen, K Slevin, A Molloy; A O’Rourke, C Miskell, L Noone.

 

Cork (v Dublin): M O’Sullivan; S Kelly, S Leahy, D Kiniry; A Healy, H Looney, M Duggan; M O’Callaghan (capt.), E O’Shea; E Cleary, L Coppinger, D Kiely; K Quirke, E Kiely, R Leahy.

 

Dublin (v Cork): A Shiels; R Brennan, M Byrne, J Tobin; L Caffrey, D Lawless, E Deeley; J Dunne, E O’Dowd; O Nolan, C Rowe (capt.), E Gribben; C O’Connor, H Tyrrell, K Sullivan.