Ladies football league begins as Cork name side to face Lakemen

BOTH Westmeath and Roscommon will kick-off their TESCO Homegrown National Football League campaigns this weekend.

Martin Flanagan’s Westmeath ladies side will begin their Division 2 campaign with a trip to Kingspan Breffni Park for their league opener, with Cavan surely full of confidence following their TG4 Intermediate All-Ireland victory last September. The fixture will be played this Sunday on the 3G pitch in Kingspan Breffni Park with a 2pm start.

Down begin their Division 2 campaign at home against Meath, as both teams adjust to life in Division 2. Kildare and Galway will be two of the favourites for the Division 2 title and they meet in Round 1 at Carbury. Fermanagh host Clare in the final game of the round, as both counties look to put down a marker for 2014.

In Division 4, meanwhile, Roscommon begin their league campaign at home against Wicklow on Sunday at Strokestown (2pm).

The other Division 4 fixtures this weekend see Limerick play Louth, and Antrim entertain Derry.

Meanwhile, Donal Óg Hodnett is Cork’s sole debutant for Sunday’s Allianz NFL Division 1 Round 1 clash with Westmeath at Páirc Uí Rinn (2pm).

The O’Donovan Rossa club man is named in the full-forward line alongside Daniel Goulding and Brian Hurley, who will make his first start of the season for the Rebels. Patrick Kelly, Colm O’Neill, Damien Cahalane and Jamie O’Sullivan are all unavailable through injury.

The Westmeath team was named yesterday (Wednesday) with Athlone’s John Egan, Caulry’s Kevin Maguire and Garrycastle’s James Dolan among the starting line-up. Dessie Dolan, Denis Glennon and Callum McCormack are among the Westmeath substitutes.

Cork SF team v Westmeath: Ken O’Halloran; John McLoughlin, Eoin Cadogan, Michael Shields; James Loughrey, Tom Clancy, Tomás Clancy; Aidan Walsh, Andrew O’Sullivan; Mark Collins, Paul Kerrigan, Fintan Goold; Daniel Goulding, Brian Hurley, Donal Óg Hodnett.