Donaghy boost for Kingdom

KERRY’S All-Ireland football prospects will receive a welcome shot in the arm tonight when All Star attacker Kieran Donaghy returns to full training two weeks earlier than anticipated.

The Austin Stacks target man was given the all-clear to return by a specialist in Dublin yesterday, having recovered from the stressfracture of his foot sustained in the NFL Division One final against Derry at the end of April. However the news was tempered slightly by confirmation yesterday that Tadhg Kennelly has sustained a hand injury that required casting, and he is ruled out of Kerry’s second round Championship qualifier on July 11th. With the exception of the Listowel man, Jack O’Connor and his management team will have a full squad to work with tonight for the first time this year. Duagh midfielder Anthony Maher, who was shaping up as a Championship option before injury, is back training after recovering from an ankle ligament problem, but Seamus Scanlon of Currow is looking favourite to secure one of the centrefield berths for July 11th.

The Kerry defence is likely to be boosted too by the presence of Marc O Sé, who also returns to active training this evening, having recovered from the hamstring strain he picked up in the Munster SFC semi-final defeat to Cork at Pairc Ui Chaoimh next month.

With Kennelly out and Paul Galvin suspended for the second round qualifier, the Kingdom will work with a 30-man squad, with Eoin Brosnan, Mike Frank Russell, Kieran O’Leary and David O’Callaghan no longer involved.

Kilcummin’s Mike McCarthy has been added to the panel since the defeat to Cork.