Both Cork and Kerry name their starting fifteens this evening for Sunday's heavyweight clash in Killarney's Fitzgerald Stadium. But with the conventional wisdom suggesting both sets of forwards have the beating of their opponents, victory may come down to which side holds sway at midfield. Original, eh? Well, there's more than a grain of truth to the old cliche this time - and plenty of interest in which combination Kerry come up with, given Kieran Donaghy and Anthony Maher are out injured, and Seamus Scanlon is not match fit after only recently returning from a serious ankle injury. On the basis Tommy Griffin will be selected at half back (with Killian Young missing), and David Moran has been lining up on the forty in training, could Jack O'Connor and his selectors be ready to throw the untried partnership of Mike Quirke and Tadhg Kennelly together to counteract Nicholas Murphy and Alan O'Connor? Here's the options for the Kingdom...

Darragh Ó Sé and Mike Quirke:
Pros: Experience and aerial ability. This pair will not be cleaned out for primary possession, even by the high-fielding Nicholas Murphy and Alan O’Connor. Power and strength too in the engine room.
Cons: Mileage in the legs and lack of mobility. Neither is likely to be fielding in the full back line, or at the end of a sweeping attacking move. And those two Cork lads like to cover the ground.
Likelihood: Poor

Darragh Ó Se and David Moran
Pros: The perfect blend of experience and youth? The Strand Road young buck would complement the Gaeltacht veteran around the middle third. Moran will also provide a scoring threat and a reliable long-distance free-taker.
Cons: An untried partnership. Would Ó Sé be able to guide Moran and handle Nicholas Murphy in the heat of Fitzgerald Stadium. Also Moran may be required in the half forward line.
Likelihood: Poor to fair

Mike Quirke and Tadhg Kennelly
Pros: The fetcher and the runner. Quirke remains “the best club midfielder” in Kerry. Now’s the time to transfer that influence from blue to green and gold. Will probably play 50 minutes.
Cons: Can Kennelly be expected to do most of the linking and the tracking of the mobile Murphy and O’Connor on his lonesome? Have they ever played a game together?
Likelihood: High, due to lack of options. The returning Seamus Scanlon isn’t football-ready for a return.

Mike Quirke and David Moran
Pros: Club colleagues, good understanding, two superb fielders, and again Moran’s inclusion sorts the issue of who’ll kick the Kerry frees. If it was against lesser opposition, perhaps....
Cons: You can count their combined Championship starts on one hand.
Likelihood: Medium

David Moran and Tadhg Kennelly
Pros: Few could have predicted such a possible pairing twelve months ago, but there’s plenty of gas in the tank and kicking ability from this duo. They’ll offer a mobility you won’t get with Darragh or Quirke.
Cons: Whether there’s the requisite ‘horsing’ ability to put down a marker in the football equivalent of Hell’s Kitchen is a moot point. Would require plenty of scavenging help from their wing forwards.
Likelihood: Low to medium.

Darragh Ó Se-Tadhg Kennelly
Pros: The perfect pairing if it was all about big game experience. Ó Sé will be a factor on the summer road for Kerry, and this pairing could see time together at some stage on Sunday.
Cons: Ó Sé’s season started late, and he’s not up to Championship pitch; neither is the Listowel man, who even at his peak, was never a renowned fielder.
Likelihood: For Sunday, low. Too many what if’s..

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