Brosnan set to miss Kingdom opener
Team captain Brosnan is suffering from a thigh muscle complaint, and while he is close to match-ready, Sunday’s game could come too soon for him, with Lyne also set to miss out as he recovers from ankle-ligament damage.
Should Brosnan be unable to line out, then the captaincy is likely to revert to his Dr Crokes clubmate, Colm Cooper, rather than Johnny Buckley, who skippered the side earlier in the year in Brosnan’s absence.
Buckley is set to make his first championship start in midfield, and if Lyne is ruled out, then Donnchadh Walsh should start at wing-forward. Declan O’Sullivan, Paul Galvin, Colm Cooper and Kieran Donaghy are all near certainties to be chosen in attack, leaving a decision for the remaining spot.
The Kerry management must choose between James O’Donoghue and Darran O’Sullivan at corner-forward, and Legion player O’Donoghue may get the nod.
Elsewhere, Laois and Louth have both named their starting 15s for the Leinster preliminary round clash in Portlaoise (throw-in 3pm).
Laois manager Justin McNulty has not named any debutants, with 11 of the team having started the All-Ireland quarter-final defeat to Dublin last August. The O’Moore County are also boosted by the return of centre-forward Donie Kingston, who missed last year’s championship due to injury.
Corner-back John Bingham, left half-forward Conor Rafferty and right corner-forward Ciarán Byrne — who had a spell with Carlton Blues in the AFL — are making their championship bows.
Darren Clarke and Conor McGuinness miss out for the Wee County through injury.
LAOIS (SF v Louth): E Culliton (Timahoe); M Timmons (Graiguecullen), D Booth (The Heath), P O’Leary (O’Dempseys); D Strong (Emo), J O’Loughlin (St Brigid’s), P McMahon (Ballyroan Abbey); C Boyle (Portlaoise), B Quigley (Timahoe); R Munnelly (Arles-Kilcruise), D Kingston (Arles-Killeen), C Begley (Parnells, Dublin), D O’Connor (Timahoe), G Walsh (Ballylinan), C Kelly (Stradbally).
LOUTH (SF V Laois): N Gallagher (Cooley Kickhams); P Rath (Dreadnots), D Finnegan (St Patrick’s), J Bingham (St Mary’s); J O’Brien (Seán O’Mahonys), D Crilly (Dundalk Gaels), A Reid (Mattock Rangers); P Keenan (St Patrick’s), B Donnelly (Cooley Kickhams); A McDonnell (Newtown Blues), B White (Cooley Kickhams), C Rafferty (Cooley Kickhams); C Byrne (St Mochta’s), S Lennon (Kilkerley Emmets), D Maguire (Dundalk Young Irelands).
