Shane Walsh and Seán Kelly have both been named to start, despite limping out of Galway’s All-Ireland quarter-final victory over Dublin two weeks back.
Speaking immediately after that game, Joyce admitted: “Shane’s injury doesn’t look too good, but we’ll see. It didn’t look too good last week either, but the beauty now is that we have two full weeks to prepare for a semi-final.”
Kelly lasted just 22 minutes of that game and has been dogged by injury all season but the Galway captain has again been named in midfield.
Conor O’Donnell misses Donegal’s clash with Galway. O’Donnell sat out the best part of a year with a hamstring injury but returned to the team for their quarter-final win over Louth. He scored two points from play but does not make Donegal’s 26-man panel for Sunday. His place in the team goes to Naomh Conaill’s Jeaic MacCeallabhuí.
For Laois, Eoin Buggie replaces Ben Dempsey in the only official change from their Tailteann Cup semi-final victory over Antrim for the decider against Down.
GALWAY: C Gleeson; J McGrath, S Fitzgerald, J Glynn; D McHugh, L Silke, S Mulkerrin; P Conroy, S Kelly; M Tierney, J Maher, C McDaid; R Finnerty, D Comer, S Walsh
DONEGAL: S Patton; C Moore, B McCole, E Gallagher; R McHugh, C McGonagle, P Mogan; C Thompson, M Langan; J MacCeallabhuí, S O’Donnell, D Ó Baoill; P McBrearty, O Gallen, N O’Donnell
LAOIS: K Roche; J Kelly, S Fingleton, M Timmons; S Lacey, B Byrne, E Buggie; D Larkin, C Heffernan; N Dunne, E O’Carroll, K Swayne; M Barry, E Lowry, P Kingston
Today’s Sports News in 90 Seconds – 12th July