New-look Dublin primed to run the rules with Mayo

Dublin welcome Mayo to Croke Park for Saturday evening's Allianz Football League opener, and manager Dessie Farrell has been busy assembling a new squad.

Farrell has spent the offseason putting a host of potential recruits through their paces as he already has one eye on the championship ahead of the start of the Division 1 campaign.

Experienced duo Brian Fenton and James McCarthy have bowed out of inter-county football this year, leaving a big hole to fill for the upcoming campaigns, and Farrell has opted for quantity, hoping that the quality will reveal itself over the coming weeks and months.

Sixteen players have been drafted into the Dublin set-up following the creation of a development squad after an extensive trial period, and Farrell is hoping that the injection of youth will bring a new dynamic to the squad, while former player Davy Byrne and hurler Eoghan O’Donnell have also been included.

"Things have been going well and there is a lot going on trying to get a new panel formulated," said Farrell. It’s been an enjoyable couple of weeks and we’re looking forward to the season ahead.

"We have gone through a fairly extensive trialling process for club players over the last couple of months and we have a development squad to allow players additional time for further assessment, and then we made some decisions about who we would bring into this year’s panel.

"We have 16 players in total, so it’s an interesting time for them, a great opportunity, but it’s great to see new faces and plenty of new energy as well.

"Some exciting prospects and we hope to use the league campaign to give them plenty of exposure and experience and build towards the championship."

Another of the new recruits is former AFL player, James Madden, who