Dublin native Shane Horan is one of three Championship debutants in the Offaly senior football team to play Meath on Sunday.
Horan, who plays for Kilmacud Crokes and has been on the outskirts of the Dublin panel in the past, declared for his parents’ home county earlier this year and was one of manager John Maughan’s better performers during the League.
Cathal Mangan from junior club Kilclonfert is another newcomer to senior Championship football and, like Horan, is selected at wing-forward.
The third debutant is goalkeeper Paddy Dunican, who is also a talented forward and has played in goal for Drogheda United and Athlone Town in the League of Ireland.
Niall McNamee, who came out of retirement this year having announced his retirement in 2017, starts at full-forward alongside his cousin Ruairi and Bernard Allen for the tie in Navan, as Offaly bid for a first away win in the Leinster Championship since beating Westmeath in Mullingar in 1997.
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Roscommon are also introducing a non-native to Championship football with former Kerry footballer Conor Cox, who switched to his father’s county this year, selected at full-forward for their Connacht semi-final against Leitrim.
It’s a much changed Roscommon team from last year in manager Anthony Cunningham’s first Championship game in charge and, surprisingly, there is no place for Enda Smith, with the team captain not believed to be suffering from any injury issues.
Leitrim have named four Championship debutants for the game at Hyde Park as Fergal McTague, Conor Reynolds, Pearce Dolan and Evan Sweeney are introduced though there is another surprising omission with long-serving forward Emlyn Mulligan left out.
OFFALY: P Dunican; D Hogan, E Rigney, D Dempsey; C Donohue, J Moloney, N Darby (capt); E Carroll, P Cunningham; S Horan, A Sullivan, C Mangan; B Allen, N McNamee, R McNamee.
ROSCOMMON: D O’Malley; D Murray, S Mullooly, C Daly; N Daly, C Hussey, R Daly; T O’Rourke, S Kiloran; H Darcy, C Cregg, N Kilroy; U Harney, C Cox, D Murtagh.
LEITRIM: C McCrann; M McWeeney, F McTague, C Reynolds; R Mulvey, P Maguire, S McWeeney; M Plunkett, S Moran; D Flynn, P Dolan, S Quinn; E Sweeney, R O’Rourke, J Hesli
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