The only surprise in the Meath selection to play Westmeath on Sunday is there is no surprise. After the collapse against Galway in last summer's All-Ireland final some fresh injection seemed inevitable, yet the team has undergone only minor alterations.

Though three changes have been made from the side that started against Galway, two of those same players appeared in the game as substitutes. Paul Shankey at wing back is the sole player starting in Portlaoise on Sunday that had no role in the All-Ireland, yet he, too, was a regular starter for much of last summer.

Now that John McDermott is sticking with his retirement plans, John Cullinane is given the responsibilities at midfield alongside Nigel Crawford. Cullinane will be getting his first championship start, but he appeared as a substitute several times last summer, including in the final against Galway.

He scored a goal in the semi-final against Kerry, after replacing Ray Magee and has been a regular in Meath's National League campaign, starting at corner forward in the Division Two semi-final loss to Kerry in April - the county's last competitive game.

Paddy Reynolds is the other player who didn't start in the All-Ireland, but he substituted for the injured Ollie Murphy. Interestingly, Murphy has overcome a groin injury and was passed fully fit at training on Tuesday night.

According to selector Colm Coyle, the reason Meath haven't changed much is that this is still their strongest possible team. "It's not that we're totally stuck for players," he says. "But this team was very successful last summer except for the All-Ireland final and they don't become bad players overnight.

"We would like to bring in some younger players this summer, as long as we stay involved, but only if they're good enough. "

Coyle says the first game in any championship is something of a step into the unknown: "We know all about Westmeath having met them three times last summer, and they are still a very young and hungry team.

"But people forget as well that most of our players are still quite young, and Cormac Murphy at 28 would be about the oldest of them."

The Westmeath team has two changes in personnel from the team that beat Carlow. Michael Ennis replaces the injured Kieran Ryan and Fergal Wilson returns to the full-forward line in place of Joe Fallon.

There is a vacancy at corner back, with Damien Healy set to fill it if he recovers from injury. Ger Heavin is back from injury but will start on the bench.

WESTMEATH (SF v Meath): A Lennon; AN Other, D Mitchell, F Murray; B Morley, P Conway, J Keane; R O'Connell, D O'Shaughnessy; S Colleary, M Flanagan, M Ennis; F Wilson, D Dolan, JP Casey.

MEATH (SF v Westmeath): C Sullivan; M O'Reilly, D Fay, C Murphy; P Shankey, H Traynor, P Reynolds; N Crawford, J Cullinane; E Kelly, T Giles, N Nestor; O Murphy, G Geraghty, D Curtis.