KERRY HAVE named an unchanged team for Sunday’s All-Ireland football final against Dublin. It means that manager Jack O’Connor has decided to keep faith with Eoin Brosnan at centre back despite the player’s ankle injury, sustained at training last week.
It also means 2009 Footballer of the Year Paul Galvin is being kept in reserve on the bench despite having come on as a replacement during the semi-final against Mayo.
The side is vastly experienced with just four players, goalkeeper Brendan Kealy, centrefielder Anthony Maher, wing forward Donnchadh Walsh and corner forward Kieran O’Leary starting an All-Ireland final for the first time. All of them, bar Kealy, have previously been on All-Ireland final match-day panels.
Surprisingly in that context there are eight changes to the starting line-up compared to the county’s most recent final, the win over Cork two years ago. Of that team Diarmuid Murphy, Darragh Ó Sé and Mike McCarthy have retired whereas Tadhg Kennelly and Tommy Walsh departed to the AFL in Australia.
The remaining three, Galvin, Séamus Scanlon, who had been an injury concern at the weekend, and Tommy Griffin are on the bench.
Brosnan is the latest Kerry player to interrupt his retirement and reach an All-Ireland final. His predecessor at centre back Mike McCarthy was another as technically was Tadhg Kennelly, who took a break from his Australian rules career to play a season for the county in 2009.
Brosnan’s role changed in that after a career playing centrefield and half forward he was asked to pivot the defence and on Sunday he becomes the fourth Kerry centre back in the last five All-Ireland finals after McCarthy, Aidan O’Mahony, who is named at left wing back, and the retired Séamus Moynihan.
Footballer of the Year front runner Colm Cooper is bidding to become the first Dr Crokes player in 97 years to captain Kerry to an All-Ireland victory.
The legendary Dick Fitzgerald did so in 1913 and ’14. Cooper will also be hoping to help his team to end a comparative goal drought in finals, as the county hasn’t raised a green flag in an All-Ireland since putting three past Cork in 2007.
Manager Jack O’Connor is attempting to win his fourth Sam Maguire in six seasons in charge, spread over two terms, and it will be his fifth final.
Kerry
(v Dublin, All-Ireland SFC final, Croke Park, Sunday, 3.30pm)
1 Brendan Kealy
2 Killian Young
3 Marc Ó Sé
4 Tom O’Sullivan
5 Tomás Ó Sé
6 Eoin Brosnan
7 Aidan O’Mahony
8 Anthony Maher
9 Bryan Sheehan
10 Darran O’Sullivan
11 Declan O’Sullivan
12 Donnchadh Walsh
13 Colm Cooper
14 Kieran Donaghy
15 Kieran O’Leary
Subs:T Mac a'tSaoir, D Bohan, P Galvin, S Enright, J O'Donoghue, B J Keane, P Reidy, P Crowley, T Griffin, J Buckley, B McGuire, S Scanlon, N O'Mahony, D Ó Geibheannaigh, A O'Connell, D Casey.
