Reilly and O’Rourke ruled out of Meath’s Kingdom test

MEATH boss Eamonn O’Brien has confirmed defender Kevin Reilly will not feature in Sunday week’s All-Ireland SFC semi-final against Kerry.

Reilly has not lined out for the Royals since the Leinster SFC first round loss to Dublin on June 7 due to a back injury.

The Navan O’Mahony’s star had made good progress prior to the All-Ireland quarter-final against Mayo and was able to take his place amongst the substitutes. However, O’Brien has ruled out the prospect of him partaking in the Kerry match.

Injury-plagued attacker Shane O’Rourke is also definitely out despite playing for his club Simonstown Gaels last weekend. O’Rourke has been suffering from hamstring trouble all year.

Kerry minor boss John Kennedy has made three changes for Sunday’s All-Ireland MFC semi-final against Armagh in Croke Park.

Pádraig O’Connor comes into the team at left corner-back in place of Niall Fitzgerald, while defender Danny Wren also drops to the bench. Wren’s exclusion sees a positional reshuffle with Michael Brennan going to left half-back, Donal O’Sullivan starting at midfield, Jack Sherwood moving to right half-forward and Damien Kelly switching to centre-forward.

Ian Galvin is the new player in at left half-forward. The final change sees Kieran Hurley, the goal-scoring hero in the quarter-final against Roscommon, named at full-forward, with Niall O’Shea moving to the right corner and Mark Reen making way.

The Armagh team is due to be announced tonight.

* Monaghan Senior football manager Seamus McEnaney will learn of his future as the Farney County boss today when he meets with Monaghan County Board Chairman John Connolly.

Speaking last night at an Ulster Bank event in Tyrone, ‘Banty’ confirmed speculation in the media yesterday over his future was wide of the mark.

It had been speculated that he was definitely back in the hot seat for a sixth successive year.

McEnaney said, ‘The speculation is well off the mark.”

“I gave a commitment that the Monaghan County chairman that he would be the first man to know my position. As we speak, he is the only man that can answer that question.”

Cork junior manager Mossie Barrett has named an unchanged side for Saturday’s All-Ireland JFC final against Roscommon in Portlaoise. There were injury doubts over right corner-back Pat Gayer and right corner-forward Vincent Hurley, but both have shaken off shoulder problems. to take their place in the starting fifteen.

KERRY (MF v Armagh); P O’Sullivan (Churchill); M Galvin (Ballymacelligott), P Galvin (Ballymacelligott), P O’Connor (Gneeveguilla); G Gibson (Waterville), J Coffey (Beaufort), M Brennan (Churchill); S Carroll (Austin Stacks), D O’Sullivan (Rathmore); J Sherwood (Firies), D Kelly (St Michael’s/Foilmore), I Galvin (Derrynane); N O’Shea (Dromid Pearses), K Hurley (St Pat’s Blennerville), E O’Connor (St Michael’s/Foilmore). Subs: P McCarthy (Rathmore), J O’Sullivan (Kilcummin), M Reen (Rathmore), N Fitzgerald (Waterville), D Wren (Tarbert), M Thiemann (St Michael’s/Foilmore), P Joy (Laune Rangers), J Walsh (Knocknagoshel), M Griffin (St Michael’s/Foilmore).

CORK (JF v Roscommon): P O’Shea (St Vincents); P Gayer (Castlemagner), E Wiseman (Castletownbere), J McLoughlin (Kanturk); R O’Sullivan (Kinsale), G Healy (Ballydesmond), M Fehily (Diarmuid O’Mathuna’s); A O’Sullivan (Castletownbere), C O’Donovan (Valley Rovers); D O’Donovan (Kilmacabea), S O’Sullivan (Dromtarriffe), C O’Driscoll (Tadhg MacCarthaigh); V Hurley (Courcey Rovers), R O’Mahony (St Finbarrs), JP Murphy (St Vincents).