Mayo much changed from 2006

READING much into Mayo and Kerry’s last championship meeting is a tricky operation, given the massive changes the Connacht side has undergone.

Just two survivors from the 2006 All-Ireland final starting XV, Keith Higgins and Alan Dillon, will start for James Horan tomorrow.

Ronan McGarrity, David Clarke, Dermot Geraghty and Peadar Gardiner were all on the extended panel while Trevor Mortimer and Andy Moran came off the bench in the 4-15 to 3-5 loss to the Kerrymen.

But Kerry can pick from a predictable set of the county’s heroes. Indeed seven of the 2006 final team, Killian Young, Marc Ó Sé, Tomás Ó Sé, Aidan O’Mahony, Declan O’Sullivan, Colm Cooper and Kieran Donaghy, will all occupy the exact same positions five years later while Eoin Brosnan, Darran O’Sullivan and Bryan Sheehan also came off the bench that day and will all start this time round.

Paul Galvin played in 2006 but misses out on this occasion due to injury.

Scorers for Kerry: C Cooper, K Donaghy, Declan O’Sullivan 1-2 each, E Brosnan 1-1, A O’Mahony, MF Russell (1f) 0-2 each, S Moynihan, S O’Sullivan, P Galvin, B Sheehan (1f) 0-1each.

Scorers for Mayo: K O’Neill 2-0, P Harte 1-0, C Mortimer 0-3fs, BJ Padden, C McDonald (1f) 0-1 each.

KERRY: D Murphy; M Ó Sé, M McCarthy, T O’Sullivan; T Ó Sé, S Moynihan, A O’Mahony; D Ó Sé, T Griffin; S O’Sullivan, Declan O’Sullivan (capt), P Galvin; C Cooper, K Donaghy, MF Russell.

Subs: E Brosnan for T Ó Sé (ht), Darren O’Sullivan for S O’Sullivan (52), B Sheehan for Russell (62), E Fitzmaurice for Griffin (67), B Guiney for O’Mahony (70).

MAYO: D Clarke; D Geraghty, D Heaney (capt), K Higgins; A Higgins, J Nallen, P Gardiner; R McGarrity, P Harte; BJ Padden, G Brady, A Dillon; K O’Neill, C Mortimer, C McDonald.

Subs: D Brady for Nallen (11), B Moran for O’Neill (47), T Mortimer for Dillon (47), A Kilcoyne for Padden (52), A Moran for Gardiner (60).