ANTHONY RAINBOW HAS handed a championship debut to full-back Shane Mernagh for Carlow’s Leinster championship tie against Westmeath on Sunday.

The former Kildare defender makes his managerial championship debut in the tie that will take place at Cusack Park in Mullingar.

In all, the side features 12 of the team which started against Laois in the opening round of last year’s qualifiers when Carlow suffered a four-point defeat while left corner-forward Derek Hayden came on as a substitute in that game.

Corner-back Barry-John Molloy makes his first championship start for the Dolmen County, having appeared off the substitutes’ bench last year

CARLOW: Trevor O’Reilly (Tinryland); Conor Lawler (Palatine), Shane Mernagh (Kildavin/Clonegal), BJ Molloy (Rathvilly); Kieran Nolan (Fighting Cocks), Shane Redmond (Tinryland), Benny Kavanagh (Éire Óg); Darragh Foley (Kilbride), John Murphy (Grange); Brian Murphy (Rathvilly), Brendan Murphy (Rathvilly), Eoghan Ruth (Éire Óg); Sean Gannon (Éire Óg), Paul Reid (Palatine), Derek Hayden (Éire Óg).

Here are the Carlow substitutes for Sunday’s clash.

Subs: Craig Kearney (Palatine), Jeffrey O’Donoghue (Rathvilly), Martin Doyle (Naomh Eoin), Tony Bolger (Rathvilly), Alan Kelly (Rathvilly), Ciaran Moran (Palatine), Con Murphy (Clonmore), Daniel St Ledger (Kildavin/Clonegal), Jack Kennedy (St Patrick’s), Jason Kane (Palatine), Andy O’Brien (Naomh Eoin).

Westmeath’s Dessie Dolan.
Pic: INPHO/James Crombie

Star attacker Dessie Dolan and team captain Kieran Gavin are both back in the Westmeath team for the game. Both players came on as substitutes in Westmeath’s Division 2 league final loss to Derry last month in Croke Park and are now named in the starting fifteen.

Dolan was largely used as an impact sub during the league and shot over three points from play when brought on during the second-half against Derry. He starts at corner-forward while Gavin will play at full-back after recovering from burns suffered in a recent accident at work.

Gavin suffered the burns to his shoulder and face in an accident involving boiling water. The defender works as a technical service representative for Chem-Aqua water treatment. Their inclusions see Denis Corroon and Ciaran Curley make way in the only two changes from the Westmeath team that played in that league decider.

Positional switches in the Lake County line-up include John Gaffey moving to half-back, James Dolan going to wing-forward and Ger Egan switching to corner-forward.

WESTMEATH: Gary Connaughton (Tubberclair); Mark McCallion (Garrycastle), Kieran Gavin (Mullingar Shamrocks), Kevin Maguire (Caulry); Doron Harte (Garrycastle),Paul Sharry (St Loman’s), John Gaffey (Garrycastle); David Duffy (Shandonagh), John Heslin (St Loman’s); Kieran Martin (Maryland), Callum McCormack (Maryland), James Dolan (Garrycastle); Ger Egan (Tyrrellspass), Denis Glennon (Tyrrellspass), Dessie Dolan (Garrycastle).

Westmeath’s Kieran Gavin.
Pic: INPHO/James Crombie

Meanwhile the Laois, Carlow and Antrim senior hurling teams have also been named ahead of their Leinster hurling championship ties this weekend.

LAOIS: Eoin Reilly (St Lazarian’s, Abbeyleix); Brian Stapleton (Borris-in-Ossory Kilcotton), Brian Campion (Rathdowney-Errill), John A Delaney (Clough Ballacolla); Cahir Healy (Portlaoise), Matthew Whelan (Borris-in-Ossory Kilcotton), Gearoid Burke (Camross); Joe Fitzpatrick (Rathdowney-Errill), James Walsh (Ballinakill); Stephen Maher (Clough Ballacolla), Zane Keenan (Camross), Willie Hyland (Clough Ballacolla); John Brophy (The Harps), Tommy Fitzgerald (Portlaoise), Brian Dunne (The Harps).

ANTRIM: Ryan McGarry (Ballycastle); Barry McFall (St John’s), Aaron Graffin (Cushendall), Mark McFadden (Loughgiel Shamrocks); Conor McKinley (Cú Chullain), Neal McAuley (Ballycastle), Jackson McGreevey (St Gall’s); Matthew Donnelly (Ballycastle), Tony McCloskey (Loughgiel Shamrocks); Paul Shiels (Cú Chullain), Neil McManus (Cushendall), Eddie McCloskey (Loughgiel Shamrocks); Shane McNaughton (Cushendall), Conor Carson (Cushendall), AN Other.

CARLOW: Frank Foley (Mount Leinster Rangers); Alan Corcoran (Erins Own), Eoin Nolan (Naomh Eoin), Hugh Paddy O’Byrne (Mount Leinster Rangers; Diarmuid Byrne (Mount Leinster Rangers), David English (Ballinkillen), James O’Hara (Naomh Eoin); Richard Coady (Mount Leinster Rangers), Jack Kavanagh (St Mullins); Edward Coady (Mount Leinster Rangers), Shane Kavanagh (Naomh Eoin), Sean Murphy (Ballinkillen); John Michael Nolan (Naomh Eoin), Marty Kavanagh (St Mullins), Paul Coady (Mount Leinster Rangers).