The Yeats County open their defence of the Connacht title this Sunday in Ruislip, where they face London.  The team for Sunday’s match was named last night and, courtesy of the Sligo GAA website (which, unlike ours, looks like a decent enough site), here it is:

SLIGO v London: Philip Greene; Charlie Harrison, Patrick Naughton, Ross Donovan; Paul McGovern, Michael MacNamara, Jonathan Davey; Kieran Quinn, Eamon O’Hara; Brian Curran, Mark Breheny, Brendan Egan; Gary Gaughan, John MacPartland, David Kelly.

That’s an experienced team, one that includes only one championship newcomer – corner-forward Gary Gaughan – and only one other change from last year’s Connacht championship-winning side, with injured captain Noel McGuire being replaced at full-back by Pat Naughton.  (Don’t blame me if those stats are wrong – I lifted them from this article on Setanta).

London’s bainisteoir (no, not HIM) is banging the drum ahead of Sunday’s match.  Forget about the league, especially that loss to Kilkenny, says Noel Dunning, we have our sights set on Croker.  Unless he’s planning a duet with Celine Dion there, I can’t see this happening.  That Sligo team will be more than capable of taking care of the Exiles next Sunday and I’m already starting to toss and turn about the consequences of all those high balls they’re going to be lofting into our rickety full-back line come June 22nd.