Reilly named man in the middle for Kerry – Dublin sellout

Meath’s Cormac Reilly will take charge of Sunday’s All-Ireland semi-final between Kerry and Dublin.

He is the first match official to be appointed from the same province as a last four team since Maurice Deegan of Laois was the man in the middle for the Dublin-Donegal game in 2011.

Neither Kerry nor Dublin have come across Reilly in any of their four previous Championship games this summer. His last assignment came in the quarter-final between Tyrone and Monaghan.

Sunday’s game has been confirmed as a sellout, which will ensure Croke Park is packed out for the last three scheduled fixtures of the All-Ireland senior championships.

Dublin make their fourth consecutive All-Ireland semi-final appearance in five days’ time. On each of the three previous occasions, their games have attracted over 80,000: 82,225 v Cork in 2010, 81,436 v Donegal in 2011 and 81,364 v Donegal last year.

The GAA are already set to record a significant increase on their Championship attendances from last season, largely thanks to the relative novelty of the hurling campaign.

Eamonn Fitzmaurice will name his Kerry team this evening with keen interest in his defensive line-up with Killian Young ruled out with an ankle injury.

Mark Griffin, Aidan O’Mahony and Eoin Brosnan are all in contention to return to the team while Tomás Ó Sé has only recently returned to training following a back problem.

Fit-again James O’Donoghue (hamstring) is in contention to return to the forwards after a fine Munster campaign. If he does, Kieran Donaghy could lose out.

Otherwise, Fitzmaurice may chose to lose one of his half-forward line to compensate for the Legion man’s inclusion, with Declan O’Sullivan pushing out from the corner.

Anthony Maher, another top performer in the provincial competition, is expected to come back in for David Moran at midfield, with the Duagh man having fully recovered from the back injury that ruled him out of the quarter-final win over Cavan.

Dublin manager Jim Gavin will announce his team later in the week, likely Friday, with Dean Rock hotly fancied to be chosen at full-forward at the expense of Bryan Cullen and Diarmuid Connolly returning to the left wing.

Like Fitzmaurice, Gavin has attempted to appease injury concerns about some of his players. Jack McCaffrey and Stephen Cluxton were both feared to be doubts.