Power NI Dr. McKenna Cup Section A
Donegal v Monaghan, Sunday, 2.00, Ballybofey
Monaghan travel to Ballybofey on Sunday, when they will provide the opposition for Donegal’s first home match since they took the Sam Maguire Cup to the north-west last September.
Donegal have selected an experimental panel for this competition, backboned by Under-21 players. They only returned on Tuesday from a team holiday to Dubai, before a side featuring none of the All-Ireland-winning players fell to an eight-point defeat against Fermanagh in Enniskillen. Donegal, who will have Marc ‘Maxi’ Curran patrolling the sideline with Jim McGuinness and Rory Gallagher taking a back-seat, are again likely to field an inexperienced line-up. They should be able to call on up-and-coming talents like Dermot Molloy, Gary McFadden, Adrian Hanlon, Daniel McLaughlin, Stephen Griffin and Ross Wherity and they will be keen to put on a good showing in front of their home supporters.
The Monaghan team shows ten changes from the one that beat St. Mary’s University last Sunday. Malachy O’Rourke has opted to shake things up, with the players coming into the team including debutants Owen Coyle (Latton) and Keith McEnaney (Corduff) at corner-back and corner-forward respectively, as well as Monaghan Harps forward Donal Hahessy, who gets his first start after he made his debut as a substitute last Sunday. Mark Keogh, Ronan McNally, David Hughes, Conor Galligan, Owen Lennon, David Hughes and Thomas O’Neill are also brought into the starting XV, with Rory Beggan, Fintan Kelly, Martin McElroy, Karl O’Connell, Neil McAdam, Dick Clerkin, Stephen Smyth, Owen Duffy, Pádraig Donaghy and Dermot Malone dropping out. Monaghan will be chasing a second win on Sunday, although equally important will be the performance, as they look to build on some promising signs shown in the first half last weekend.
Monaghan: Mark Keogh; Ronan McNally, David Hughes, Owen Coyle; Kieran Duffy, Dessie Mone, Conor Galligan; Owen Lennon, Darren Hughes; Kieran Hughes, Paul McArdle, Thomas O’Neill; Keith McEnaney, Conor McManus, Donal Hahessy.
Subs: Rory Beggan, Fintan Kelly, Martin McElroy, Karl O’Connell, Neil McAdam, Dermot Malone, Dick Clerkin, Gerard McArdle, Shane McQuillan, Stephen Smyth, Owen Duffy.
By michael Thu 10th Jan
