Mayo manager James Horan has made five changes to the team that started their division one win over Meath two weeks ago for this Sunday's clash with Monaghan in Clones.
Into the team comes Padraig O'Hora (Ballina Stephenites ), Oisin Mullin (Kilmaine ) who was on u20 duty the day before Mayo's last outing, Kevin McLoughlin (Knockmore ) who has come on in each of Mayo's three games to date this season, Hollymount-Carramore's Darren Coen, who will be making his first start of the season and Westport's Eoghan McLaughlin, who will be making his full debut for the county after making a substitute appearance against Meath two weeks ago. Out of the starting 15 go Brendan Harrision, Eoin O'Donoghue, James Durcan, Tommy Conroy and James McCormack. Horan has also named Aidan O'Shea as the captain for Sunday's game.
Both Mayo and Monaghan are level on three points each after three games - the hosts will feel that they should have a point more after being caught late on by Dublin in Croke Park in their last outing - having dominated that game for long periods of time. They were narrowly beaten by Galway in round one by a single point in Salthill, but bounced back to see off Tyrone in Castleblayney in round two by four points, before they did what many don't do - and came home with some sort of positive result against Dublin after their 1-15 to 1-15 draw.
The last time that these two sides met in Clones in the league game was two years ago, when Mayo picked up what proved to be a vital win in round one, edging their hosts 0-13 to 0-12. The majority of Mayo's scoring that day came from three players no longer involved with the panel, with, Evan Regan getting five points, Neil Douglas kicking four points and Andy Moran chipping in with one.
In fact only five players who started in that game two years ago in the home of Ulster football have been picked to start again on Sunday by James Horan - Stephen Coen, Paddy Durcan, Kevin McLoughlin, Aidan O'Shea and Diarmuid O'Connor, with that 2018 Mayo game being managed by Stephen Rochford at the time.
In the final round robin game of the league last year the sides met in Castlebar, with Mayo running out 3-15 to 1-18 winners - a win which sent them into the league final. There are seven survivors from that game named in the starting 15 for Sunday, with Stephen Coen, Paddy Durcan, Aidan O'Shea, Fergal Boland, Diarmuid O'Connor, Kevin McLoughlin and Darren Coen all starting that game and named to start again on Sunday.
Mayo v Monaghan: Robert Hennelly (Breaffy ); Padraig O'Hora (Ballina Stephenites ), Oisin Mullin (Kilmaine ), Lee Keegan (Westport ); Eoghan McLaughlin (Westport ), Michael Plunkett (Ballintubber ), Patrick Durcan (Castlebar Mitchels ), Stephen Coen (Hollymount-Carramore ), Aidan O'Shea (Breaffy ); Fergal Boland (Aghamore ), Ryan O'Donoghue (Belmullet ), Diarmuid O'Connor (Ballintubber ), Kevin McLoughlin (Knockmore ), Darren Coen (Hollymount-Carramore ), James Carr (Ardagh ).
