Kerry have named an unchanged side for Saturday night's Munster football semi-final with Waterford at Fitzgerald Park in Killarney. For what will be the county's second championship outing in six days, manager Eamonn Fitzmaurice selects the starting line-up that comfortably defeated Tipperary at the same venue, last weekend.
Two players, Jonathan Lyne and Shane Enright, have been added to the bench after recovering from ankle and hamstring injuries respectively. Captain Eoin Brosnan, also recovering from injury, is again named on the bench.
Kerry's Colm Cooper, whose 30th birthday is on Monday, is likely to score his 250th point in senior championship football, as his career tally currently stands on 19 goals and 249 points.
Waterford include Gary Hurney, who has recovered from a knee injury and is named by manager Niall Carew at full forward. The county hasn’t beaten Kerry since the famous Walsh Park win of 56 years ago. According to the Kerry website, it is now 22 matches since Kerry lost in the championship in Killarney.
That was the Munster final against Cork and although the same opponents have secured draws at the venue in 2002, ’06,’09 and 2011, Kerry haven’t been beaten since.
Meanwhile, Clare hurling manager David Fitzgerald introduces three debutants, David McInerney, Conor Ryan and Shane O’Donnell for Sunday’s Munster quarter-final against Waterford in Thurles.
All three were involved in the opening league match between the counties, narrowly won by Waterford, although Cratloe’s Ryan, listed on the bench, wasn’t introduced.
McInerney from Tulla is chosen at full back, having played in the left corner in the February encounter but Éire Óg’s O’Donnell, a minor last year, is selected to line out again at full forward whereas Ryan starts at centrefield.
All told there are nine of the team, which lost narrowly in the same fixture last year.
KERRY (SFC v Waterford): B Kealy; M Ó Sé, A O'Mahony, F Fitzgerald; T Ó Sé, K Young, P Crowley; A Maher, J Buckley; P Galvin, C Cooper, D Walsh; Declan O'Sullivan, K Donaghy, J O'Donoghue. Subs: B Kelly, B Sheehan, Darran O'Sullivan, K O'Leary, M Griffin, B McGuire, E Brosnan, M Geaney, P Curtin, S Enright, J Lyne.
WATERFORD (SFC): S Enright; T O hUallacháin, N Walsh, M O'Gorman; C Phelan, S Briggs, J Hurney; M O'Gorman, T Prendergast; T Grey, S Aherne, A Doyle; P Whyte, G Hurney, R Aherne.
CLARE (SHC v Waterford): P Kelly; D O'Donovan, D McInerney, S Morey; B Bugler, P Donnellan, P O'Connor; C Galvin, Conor Ryan; J Conlon, T Kelly, Colin Ryan; P Collins, S O'Donnell, C McGrath.
WESTMEATH (SFC v Dublin): G Connaughton; M McCallon, K Gvain, K Maguire; D Harte, P Sharry, J Gaffey; D Duffy, J Heslin; K Martin, C McCormack, J Dolan; G Egan, D Glennon, D Dolan.
LAOIS (SHC v Carlow): E Reilly; B Stapleton, B Campion, J A Delaney; C Healy, M Whelan, G Burke; J Fitzpatrick, J Walsh; S Maher, Z Keenan, W Hyland; J Brophy, T Fitzgerald, B Dunne.
