The team and subs to face Sligo in this evening’s Connacht junior football final at Charlestown (throw-in 7.30 pm) was named yesterday. Here’s the full list:

Mayo (Connacht JFC Final v Sligo, 3/6/2011): Conor Campbell (Swinford); Padraic McDonagh (Kilmaine), Ollie Feeney (Islandeady), John Broderick (Claremorris); Dermot Costello (Hollymount/Carramore), Colm Boyle (Davitts), Pat Casey (The Neale); Peter Collins (Islandeady), Alan Egan (Bonniconlon); Liam Lydon (Kiltimagh), James Moran (Burrishoole), Simon Cloherty (Parke); Darren Coen (Hollymount/Carramore), Colin Dempsey (Swinford), Michael Conroy (Davitts).  Subs: Paul Keane (Hollymount), Dennis McNamara (Achill), Colm Cafferkey (Achill), Padraic Holmes (Burrishoole), Darren Durcan (Parke), Clifford Connolly (Hollymount/Carramore), John Madden (Kilmeena), Barry Leonard (Lahardane), James McAndrew (Kilcommon).

If the weather down the west is anything like the sumptuous conditions we’re enjoying up here in Dublin today, then it’ll be a glorious evening for a game of ball at Fr O’Hara Park later on.  In case you missed it, Anthony Hennigan has an excellent preview of the match in this week’s Western, in which he makes the interesting point that Sligo’s entire All-Ireland winning team from last year is automatically barred from playing inter-county junior football this year, simply by virtue of their win.  That sounds a bit mental to me but if the same rule were to be applied at senior level – in particular to the Kerrymen – I don’t think we’d object too much.

Because Sligo have had, in effect, to start from scratch for this year’s junior campaign, Anthony reckons that their mantle of defending All-Ireland champions may not be a proper reflection of their true strength and that our lads have every chance of landing the county’s first Connacht junior title since 2007.  If we do win tonight, it will also mean – as Anthony points out – that junior bainisteoir John Kelly will have recorded victories over teams that are under the tutelege of the senior managers of Leitrim, Roscommon and Sligo. That in itself would be no mean feat.

Best of luck this evening, lads.