Barry Tierney and Tiernan McCann make their championship debuts for Tyrone in Sunday’s Ulster football preliminary round clash with Down at Healy Park and former minor star Kyle Coney makes his first Ulster championship start after a couple of years on the panel and having lined out in the 2011 qualifiers
Captain Seán Cavanagh starts at centre forward with Conor Clarke coming in at centrefield to partner Cavanagh’s brother Colm, who has been declared fit after sustaining a quad muscle injury.
Defenders Joe McMahon and Ronan McNamee are both ruled out by injury.
Established players
Down manager James McCartan has named an experienced side for the match. He welcomes back two established players Conor McGinn and Conor Garvey who were away last year and will resume their championship careers.
Elsewhere in Ulster, Derry manager Brian McIver confirmed last night that Eoin Bradley, who recently signed a two year contract with Irish League soccer club Glenavon, would not be part of the leagues finalists' championship panel.
“I think the soccer went better for him than he envisaged being the case,” said McIver.
“To be fair to him I think he, and myself, thought he would play a bit of soccer over the winter and then return to the Gaelic but it went very well for him.
“It was always going to come down to whatever he was doing next year and once he signed for Glenavon that more or less drew a line underneath that (returning for Derry). Eoin and me have discussed this. All I can do is wish him the best of luck on that.”
Meanwhile Ray Connellan is Westmeath’s only debutant for Sunday’s Leinster championship match against Louth. The Athlone player lines out at centrefield.
