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Tomás Ó Flatharta will lead Galway into championship action for the first time this Sunday when his side takes on Mayo in McHale Park at 2pm in the Connacht semi-final.

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Mayo manager James Horan has named six players who will make their championship debut on Sunday in London. The game against the exiles will be Horan’s maiden championship contest in the Bainisteoir’s bib. The half dozen who will make their first championship starts are Robert Hennelly in goal, full back Alan Feeney, and his brother Richie Feeney at wing back. The midfield pairing of Jason Gibbons and James Kilcullen will also be making their first championship start, while Jason Doherty, whose goal-getting ability lit up Mayo’s National Football League campaign, has unsurprisingly been given the number 15 shirt for the championship opener.

Both the Mayo senior football team and hurlers will finish up their league campaign’s with trips to Monaghan on Sunday afternoon. Last Sunday’s win by the footballers over Cork ensured their division one status for next year, while on Saturday the hurlers saw off the challenge of Sligo to keep their 100 per cent record intact. However anyone who hoped to travel to the Farney county and catch a double header of football and hurling action between the two counties will unable to do so, with the hurling team who have already booked their place in the division 3B final playing in Clones at 2.30pm and the footballers playing in Inniskeen, 40 miles away at the same time. All games in both the national hurling and football leagues will be throwing in at the same time on Sunday across all the divisions, the reason being that no team in any division will have an advantage knowing results that may affect them beforehand.

Just under a year ago Mayo travelled to Pairc Ui Chaoimh to take on Cork in the final group game in division one of the National Football League and came away with a 0-16 to 0-11 win and a place in the final of the competition. Only a few weeks later both sides squared up again in Croke Park and from the minute the ball was thrown in that day both teams’ seasons veered off in very different directions, Mayo’s ending on a Saturday evening in Longford eight weeks after that league final defeat and Cork’s on the final day with the ultimate prize.

There is one thing that is sure to get everyone talking ahead of Sunday's meeting with Armagh in McHale Park. That is the return of Billy Joe Padden to the home of Mayo GAA in the bright orange of the Ulster men for the first time since his move north of the border. But despite this sub plot there is only one item of business that Mayo manager James Horan will be looking to be taken care of, and that is getting two more points on the board. Sunday will see Mayo play their fourth game in this year’s Allianz Football League and move past the half way stage of the competition. If they manage to see off the challenge of the Armagh men it will move them up to five points in the table and be a major step in ensuring that come the early spring next year, Mayo will be dining at the top table of league football in 2012.

James Horan waited until the action in the Sigerson Cup had concluded on Thursday afternoon before selecting his side for this Sunday’s clash with Kerry in McHale Park. Horan has made a number of changes from the side that lined out against Down in the opening round of the National League a fortnight ago. Into goal comes Breaffy’s Robert Hennelly for his first start in the Allianz League, the Breaffy man has been one of the most constant performers for both club and the underage county sides over the past few years. Tom Cunniffe holds onto his spot in the corner, with Ger Cafferkey moving back to full back after being previously placed at centre half back in the league opener. Belmullet Chris Barrett who didn’t make the match day 26 for the league opener gets the nod at number four. Peadar Gardiner and Trevor Howley come into the half back line with Kevin McLoughlin holding on to his spot along that line. The midfield pairing of Jason Gibbons and Ronan McGarrity will once again patrol the middle third. The Ballintubber and Ballina Stephenites combination looks like one that will be the preferred one for Horan in the long run. Aidan Campbell comes into the side in the half forward line with Andy Moran getting the number 11 shirt with Alan Dillon on the other flank. Aidan O’Shea moves into the corner from the last day out in the league, with Aidan Kilcoyne being rewarded for his good showing against NUIG getting the nod at full forward with Mark Ronaldson retaining his place in the corner. Mayo are of course without the injured duo of Alan Freeman and Enda Varley from the side which started against Down and a number of other players are still out injured since before the start of the season.

The Mayo senior footballers will welcome Kerry to McHale Park for their second game in the 2011 National Football League on Sunday. The visit of Jack O’Connor’s side will pose another difficult examination of James Horan’s early tenure in charge of the green and red. Last weekend Horan picked up his first piece of silverware in the Mayo bainisteoir’s bib when they saw off the challenge of John Maughan’s NUIG by 1-14 to 0-11. Horan would have surely preferred a sterner test from the students who failed to fire for long periods of the game as Mayo cruised to victory with ease.

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