Jackies make four changes for Leinster SFC decider

Fri, 29th June 2018

Dublin manager Mick Bohan has made four changes to the team that defeated Mayo in the Lidl NFL Division 1 decider for Sunday’s TG4 Leinster senior final clash with Westmeath (4.0).

Kate Fitzgibbon, Sinéad Goldrick, Muireann Ní Scanaill and Hannah O’Neill are drafted in as the Sky Blues and reigning TG4 All-Ireland champions aim to make it seven-in-a-row in Leinster.

They replace Laura McGinley, Sinéad Finnegan, Lauren Magee and Niamh Collins, who all lined out from the start against Mayo as Dublin won top-flight League honours for the very first time.

McGinley, Finnegan, Magee and Collins are all named on the bench for the game against Westmeath, which will have a 4pm throw-in at Netwatch Cullen Park in Carlow.

This is Dublin’s first championship outing since winning the 2017 TG4 All-Ireland crown in front of a record 46,286 attendance at Croke Park last September.

In total, there are ten survivors from that starting team, with goalkeeper Ciara Trant, Martha Byrne, Goldrick, Leah Caffrey, Olwen Carey, Lyndsey Davey, Nicole Owens, captain Sinéad Aherne, Niamh McEvoy and Noelle Healy named in Sunday’s team.

Westmeath have also named their side for what will be a fourth successive Leinster final against the Dubs, while the Wicklow, Carlow and Louth teams for the intermediate and junior provincial finals have also been revealed.

Carlow and Louth will get underway at 12pm in the junior final, followed by Wicklow v Laois at 2pm in the intermediate decider and the Dublin-Westmeath showpiece at 4pm, as Netwatch Cullen Park prepares to host a TG4 Leinster final triple-header.

Dublin: C Trant; M Byrne, D Murphy, K Fitzgibbon; S Goldrick, M Ní Scanaill, L Caffrey; S McGrath, O Carey; N Owens, N McEvoy, H O’Neill; S Aherne, N Healy, L Davey.

Westmeath: K Walsh; L Power, R Dillon, N Feery; F Coyle, K McDermott, C Clarke-McMahon; V Carr, F Claffey; A Dolan, L Slevin, MA Foley; C Blundell, L Walsh, L McCartan.