Kingdom banking on O’Sullivan’s speed to stretch Armagh defence

THE PACE and elusiveness of Cromane’s Seán O’Sullivan has convinced the Kerry selectors he is the man to solve the troublesome wing forward position he will occupy in Saturday’s All-Ireland quarter final against Armagh.

The flying attacker is the third different O’Sullivan to be selected in the Kerry half forward line in as many games.

Captain, Declan O’Sullivan was dropped after the replayed Munster final defeat to Cork, and replaced by Glenbeigh-Glencar’s Darren O’Sullivan for last Saturday’s victory over Longford.

However Darren was substituted before half time in Killarney, and it subsequently emerged he had been suffering from flu in the days before the 4-11 to 1-11 win.

His Mid-Kerry colleague and namesake was introduced in the closing stages Saturday, scoring a point, but it is in training that Seán O’Sullivan convinced Kingdom management that his pace could stretch the Armagh defence.

It will be his first Championship start for Kerry since the All-Ireland semi-final defeat to Tyrone in 2003. 26-year-old O’Sullivan spent most of last season in Australia and only returned to the Kerry squad for this year’s National League, where he impressed on occasions.

The Kerry selectors have stuck with the same defence, despite a shaky display against Longford, and Tommy Griffin retains his midfield spot alongside Darragh Ó Sé. Colm Cooper, who showed a welcome return to scoring form last Saturday, retains the captaincy in the absence of any starter from South Kerry.

However most eyes will be focused squarely on the performance of Kieran Donaghy at full forward, after his single-handed destruction of Longford.

Meanwhile Joe Kernan has resisted the temptation to tinker with his team for the clash with Kerry.

The Armagh manager has named the same side which started the Ulster final against Donegal.

* Dublin County Board is to lodge an appeal with the Central Appeals Committee against the decision of the Leinster council not to agree to a re-fixture of the provincial U21 hurling final, in which Kilkenny defeated Dublin. During the course of the game a Dublin player was sent off, first receiving a yellow card and then a straight red card. At a meeting of the Leinster council last night, the red card was rescinded after it was decided that the referee had made an error.

KERRY (SFC v Armagh): D. Murphy, M. Ó Sé, M. McCarthy, T. O’Sullivan; T. Ó Sé, S. Moynihan, A. O’Mahony; D. Ó Sé, T. Griffin, Sean O’Sullivan, E. Brosnan, P. Galvin, C. Cooper (capt), K. Donaghy, M. F. Russell.

ARMAGH (SFC v Kerry): P Hearty; A Mallon, F Bellew, E McNulty; P Duffy, A Kernan, C McKeever; K McGeeney, P McGrane; M O’Rourke, J McEntee, M Mackin, S McDonnell, R Clarke, O McConville.

MONAGHAN (SF v Louth): P. McBennett; M. Corey, K. Sheerin, E. Lennon; M. McNally, K. Hughes, D.Hughes; B. McKenna, P. Finley; P. Meegan, S. Gollogly, O. Duffy; C. Hanratty, S. Downey, A. Ward.