Laois senior football manager Mike Quirke has named his team for Sunday’s Leinster semi final clash with Dublin.
From the dramatic win over Longford last week, the manager makes three changes and a number of positional switches.
Captain Kieran Lillis is back from suspension and he will be stationed at full forward alongside Evan O’Carroll and Gary Walsh.
He will not link up with his partner John O’Loughlin in midfield and that means that Graiguecullen’s Danny O’Reilly, who played there against Longford, retains that spot.
Eoin Lowry is the man to miss out and the Killeshin man is not named on the bench either as he has picked up an injury.
In defence, Seamus Lacey is absent with a suspected injury and is replaced by Paddy O’Sullivan who is in for his first start in nine months.
O’Sullivan spent most of the year with the Defence Forces in Syria and his appearance off the bench in the win over Longford last week was his first since Laois lost to Kildare in the league back in March.
While the third change sees Sean O’Flynn start instead of Mark Barry but he takes the place of Robbie Pigott on the half back line with the Portarlington man moving to corner back.
This breaks up the all-Graiguecullen full back line from last weekend and sees Brian Byrne move up to wing forward alongside Paul Kingston and Gareth Dillon.
Once again manager Quirke has also elected to name his substitutes which are a mix of youth and experience.
LAOIS: Niall Corbet (Clonaslee); Trevor Collins (Graiguecullen), Mark Timmons (Graiguecullen), Robbie Pigott (Portarlington); Sean O’Flynn (Courtwood), Paddy O’Sullivan (Portarlington), Eoin Buggie (Stradbally); Danny O’Reilly (Graiguecullen), John O’Loughlin (Rosenallis); Gareth Dillon (Portlaoise), Paul Kingston (Arles-Killeen), Brian Byrne (Graiguecullen); Evan O’Carroll (Crettyard), Kieran Lillis (Portlaoise), Gary Walsh (Ballylinan)
Subs: Matthew Byron (Courtwood), Mark Barry (O’Dempsey’s), Ross Munnelly (Arles-Kilcruise), Michael Keogh (St Joseph’s), Diarmuid Whelan (Ballyroan-Abbey), Alan Farrell (Ballylinan), Shane Bolger (Killeshin), Brian Daly (St Joseph’s), David Seale (Portlaoise), Denis Booth (The Heath), James Kelly (St Joseph’s)
Laois face Dublin on Sunday November 15 at 3.30pm in Croke Park.
The winners will face either Kildare or Meath in the Leinster final while the losers are finished for the season.
SEE ALSO – Colm Parkinson issues apology to Eddie Brennan and Laois GAA over off the record interview
