In Gaelic Football, in the Dr. McKenna Cup, the season opener is at the Box-IT Athletic Grounds in Armagh where Armagh take on Tyrone in Section A at 7 pm this Friday evening.
Malachy O’Rourke has named the Tyrone team which sees just two players who started last year’s All-Ireland semi-final defeat against Kerry in the line-up – Cormac Quinn and Mattie Donnelly – while Michael McKernan who was a substitute against the Kingdom will play in the back line.
Meanwhile, Armagh boss Kieran McGeeney has seven players in his starting fifteen who began their All-Ireland quarter-final clash with Kerry last season.
Oisin O’Neill is in the full forward line while the centre midfield pairing will feature Andrew Murnin and the injury prone Callum O’Neill, who hails from Belleek. Aaron McKay, who has also been plagued by injuries, is in the back line.
The selected teams are as follows.
Tyrone: Oisin O’Kane; Nathan McCarron, Michael McKernan, Peter McCaughey; Ben Cullen, Frank Burns, Cormac Quinn;
Joe Oguz, Conor O’Neill; Ronan Cassidy, Ruairi Canavan, Oisin Gormley; Michael Conroy, Lorcan McGarrity, Mattie Donnelly. Subs: Niall Morgan, Aidan Clarke, Shane Hughes, Niall Devlin, Callum Daly, Rory Brennan, Oisin McCann, Cathal Donaghy, Matthew Óg McGleenan, Darren McCurry, Seanie O’Donnell.
Armagh: Ethan Rafferty, Peter McGrane, Aaron McKay, Joe McElroy, Ross McQuillan, Daniel Magee, Jason Duffy, Callum O’Neill (Belleek), Andrew Murnin, Darragh McMullen, Cian McConville, Fergal O’Brien, Oisin Conaty, Oisin O’Neill, Conor Turbitt. Subs: Shea Magill, James Morgan, Sean McCarthy, Joe McCann, Dan McCarthy, Callum O’Neill (Clan na Gael), Ryan Duffy, Ruairí McDonald, Fionn Downey, Sean Conlon, Conor Magennis.
