The Donnellan brothers, Michael and John, have been surprisingly left out of Galway's team to play Leitrim in the Connacht Senior Football Championship at Tuam on Sunday. Michael's spot in midfield has been awarded to Seán Ó Domhnáill while Alan Kerins will take over at left full-forward in place of John.
No reason has been given for their exclusion from the line-up but newspaper reports this morning suggest that when John found out he had been dropped from the team, he and his brother decided to make themselves unavailable to the selectors for the weekend game. Neither player attended training last night but no one in the Galway camp is willing to comment on the matter.
Jarlath Fallon makes a welcome return to the team after he missed out on last year's All-Ireland campaign through injury. He comes in at right half-forward. There is one vacant spot on the team, at right full-forward, as Derek Savage has an injured thumb but is hoping to be fit by Sunday.
Meanwhile, Leitrim boss Joe Reynolds has been forced to select a weakened side for Sunday's game as he has only eight members of last year's championship team available. Ronan Haslett, Pat Farrell, Paul Kieran and Fintan McBrien are all injured while several others involved in last year's campaign have left the panel.
Roscommon have named their side to play New York in the Connacht Football Championship on Saturday evening on Hyde Park. There are five changes from the team that lost to Mayo in the National League semi-finals. Mike Ryan and Paul Noone return to the half-back line while Alan Nolan comes in at right-half forward and Gerry Lohan replaces brother Eddie at left half-forward. Frankie Dolan returns at left full-forward.
Elsewhere, Mayo midfielder David Brady has been named Eircell Player of the Month for April. Kildare have beaten Meath by 0-19 to 1-09 in the Leinster Minor Football championship first round replay this evening.
Galway: P Lally, T Meehan, K Fitzgerald, T Mannion, D Meehan, J Divilly, S De Paor; J Bergin, S O Domhnaill, J Fallon, K Comer, L Colleran, AN Other, P Joyce, A Kerins.
Filed by Amanda Fennelly
