Kingdom turn to Kennelly for battle with Royals

TADHG KENNELLY has been named at centre-forward ahead of Tommy Walsh on the Kerry team for Sunday’s All-Ireland SFC semi-final showdown against Meath at Croke Park.

The decision to start Kennelly was on the cards ever since he replaced Walsh in the first half of Kerry’s quarter-final destruction of Dublin.

It is a welcome change in fortune for Kennelly, who missed out on the qualifiers against Longford and Sligo because of a finger injury and was then omitted for the Antrim game.

There are also two positional changes in defence from the quarter-final game. Tommy Griffin returns to the full-back berth with Tom O’Sullivan now named at left corner-back. Mike McCarthy is selected at centre-back with Killian Young moving to left half-back.

Kieran Donaghy, still recovering from a broken bone in his foot, is among the Kerry subs.

Meath have also made one change in personnel from the team which started against Mayo in the quarter-final with team captain Stephen Bray returning after suspension.

Bray missed that game having been sent off in the qualifier clash with Limerick.

He was replaced for the Mayo game by Mickey Burke, who now loses out.

With the older of the two Bray brothers returning to the half-forward line, utility player Seamus Kenny reverts from attack to his customary wing-back berth.

Anthony Moyles has been selected at full-back despite concerns about his hamstring problem. The St Oliver Plunkett’s, Dublin club man sat out last night’s training session in Navan but manager Eamonn O’Brien is hopeful the 32-year-old will be recovered in time.

That would be a major plus for Moyles, who missed out on the 2007 All-Ireland semi-final against Cork because of injury and was sidelined in similar circumstances when Limerick trounced Meath in the qualifiers last year.

KERRY (SFC v Meath): D. Murphy; M. O Sé, T. Griffin, T. O’Sullivan; T. O Sé, M. McCarthy, K. Young; D. O Sé, S. Scanlon; P. Galvin, T. Kennelly, D. Walsh; C. Cooper, Declan O’Sullivan, Darran O’Sullivan.

MEATH: P. O’Rourke; C. O’Connor, A. Moyles, E. Harrington; S. Kenny, C. McGuinness, C. King; N. Crawford, B. Meade; P. Byrne, J. Sheridan, S. Bray; D. Bray, C. Ward, B. Farrell.