Kildare have made a number of personnel changes for Sunday's crucial NFL clash with Cork at Newbridge. Both sides have lost a match, in each case against Down, and whoever loses this weekend may well miss out on a quarter-final place as well as a position in next season's Division One.
Veteran defender Sos Dowling is recalled to the corner back position for his first league tie of the campaign and Ken Doyle starts in the opposite corner. Anthony Rainbow is restored to the halfback line and Glen Ryan, who played the second half for Leinster in last weekend's Railway Cup victory in Killarney, is deemed to have recovered from injury and lines out at centre back.
Dermot Earley, son of the former Kildare and Roscommon manager, will partner Niall Buckley at midfield for the first time in the league. Paul McCormack returns at right half forward and Willie McCreery, last season's championship centrefielder, will start on the opposite wing.
Martin Lynch is named at full forward, with former Cork player Brian Murphy moving from midfield to the corner for this meeting with his former county. Last year, Cork beat Kildare twice in the NFL, including at the semi-final stage when a late comeback was insufficient to overturn the Munster team's big early lead.
The side shows no fewer than 10 changes from the team which lost to Down in Newry before Christmas with only goalkeeper Christy Byrne, full back Ronan Quinn, Niall Buckley, Brian Murphy and Martin Lynch surviving.
Down have seen fit to make less radical changes for the trip to Ennis to play Clare and show only three changes from the side which won that pre-Christmas meeting. Liam Howlett, Shane McMahon and Gary McMahon drop out to be be replaced by Martin McAvoy, Mickey Linden, who has recovered from the hamstring difficulties that caused him to be replaced in the Railway Cup semi-final draw with Connacht last weekend, and debutant Aidan Quinn come into the team.
The side contains only three All-Ireland medallists from the starting line-up in 1994: Micheal McGill; Conor Deegan and Linden. Others are unavailable through injury: James McCartan has had an operation on his shoulder and is still recovering; Brian Burns has a leg injury and Aidan Farrell is suffering from a long-term back problem.
Out through suspension are Paul Higgins and Gregory McCartan. According to county PRO Fintan Mussen, no appeal will be taken to Croke Park in advance of the Mercy Committee which meets at this year's Congress.
Meanwhile, Kerry have replaced the three selectors who resigned for varying personal reasons in the wake of the All-Ireland victory last year. Tuesday night's Kerry county committee meeting gave manager Paidi O Se the go-ahead to name his own replacements for coach Seamus Mac Gearailt and selectors Jack O'Connor and Tom O'Connor.
O Se himself will take on the role of coach, while Frank O'Leary of St Mary's, Cahirciveen, Paul Lucey of Austin Stacks and Sean Counihan of Legion fill the selection vacancies.
Kildare (SF v Cork) - C Byrne; S Dowling, R Quinn, K Doyle; A Rainbow, G Ryan, B Lacey; N Buckley, D Earley; P McCormack, D Kerrigan, W McCreery; P Brennan, M Lynch, B Murphy.
Down (SF v Clare) - M McVeigh; M McAvoy, M McGill, M McMurray; F Caulfield, S McMahon, S McPoland; C Deeghan, A Mulloy; G Deegan, G Murdock, P Sloan; S Ward, M Linden, A Quinn. Subs: P Travers, R McGovern, P McGoldrick, E O'Hagan, G McMahon, J McAlinden, B Loughran, S Caulfield, S Mulholland.
Kerry Officials - SF: Paidi O Se (Trainer and coach); Bernie O'Callaghan, Frank O'Leary, Paul Lucey, Sean Counihan (selectors). U21 F: J O'Connor (Trainer and coach); J Cullotty and three others to be elected by clubs (selectors). JF: B O'Grady (Manager); M Spillane, D O'Leary, G Savage, J Foley (selectors). MF: C Nelligan (Trainer and coach); M Sheehy, D Crowley, J Murphy, J Kennedy. SH: PJ O'Grady (Trainer); G McCarthy, D Flaherty, P Delaney, M Kenny (selectors). U21 H: M Leahy (Trainer and coach) who will appoint two selectors. MH: B Hennessy (Trainer and coach); M Slattery and T Healy (selectors).
