Jackies select six of All-Ireland 15 for FL tie with Tipp

Fri, 24th January 2020

Lidl Ladies NFL Division 1: Round 1

Dublin v Tipperary

Sunday, Páirc Uí Mhurchú, Ballyboden St Enda's, 2.0

The ‘Battle of the Champions’ will kick-start the LGFA’s Facebook Live coverage of the 2020 Lidl National League campaign: http://bit.ly/2OvUJ2D,

2019 TG4 All-Ireland senior champions Dublin, their third in-a-row, welcome last year's All-Ireland IFC winners Tipperary to Ballyboden St Enda's (2.), with Sky Blues boss Mick Bohan choosing six of the team that landed the Brendan Martin Cup for a third successive season.

Goalkeeper Ciara Trant will captain the side, and she’s joined in the starting line-up by Martha Byrne, Niamh Collins, Lauren Magee, Jennifer Dunne and Carla Rowe, who all lined out when the Jackies defeated Galway to claim a third successive TG4 All-Ireland Senior title last year.

In defence, Laura McGinley and Leah Caffrey both return to bolster Bohan’s options after they went travelling in 2019 and missed last season.

Aoife Kane’s sister Laura from Kilmacud Crokes is new to the panel and gets the nod at right half forward while Sarah McCaffrey, sister of Dublin star Jack, is named on the left wing, and she’s back in the squad for the first time in two years.

At full-forward, Niamh Sweeney is another new addition, with left corner forward Rebecca McDonnell given the nod after recovering from cruciate knee ligament damage.

Opponents Tipperary have gone with ten of the team that started against Meath in the 2019 TG4 All-Ireland Intermediate Final win for this ‘Battle of the Champions’.

Goalkeeper Lauren Fitzpatrick and the entire defence are included in Shane Ronayne’s starting team again, with 2019 TG4 Intermediate Players’ Player of the Year Aishling Moloney spearheading the attack.

Ava Fennessy and Caoimhe Condon are the other two players who began last September’s victory over the Royal County, as Tipperary regained Senior Championship status.

Tipp are without Aisling McCarthy in Australia, while Anna Rose Kennedy is recovering from surgery on a knee ligament injury.

DUBLIN (v Tipperary): C Trant; M Byrne, N Collins, L McGinley; L Caffrey, M Ní Scanaill, L Collins; L Magee, J Dunne; L Kane, C Rowe, S McCaffrey; O Whyte, N Sweeney, R McDonnell.

TIPPERARY (v Dublin): L Fitzpatrick; L Spillane, M Curley, E Cronin; B Condon, S Lambert, C Kennedy; O Winston, R Daly; A Fennessy, A Moloney, L Dillon; C Condon, E Morrissey, N Hayes.