Kerry keep Griffin and Quill in reserve

Tommy Griffin and Declan Quill have failed to make the Kerry starting team for the Kingdom's Munster SFC semi-final showdown with Waterford on Sunday (Dungarvan, throw-in 2pm).

Tommy Griffin and Declan Quill have failed to make the Kerry starting team for the Kingdom's Munster SFC semi-final showdown with Waterford on Sunday at Dungarvan, throw-in at 2pm.

It was expected that Griffin, who confirmed his fitness by playing for his club Dingle last weekend, would partner Darragh O'Se in the All-Ireland champions' midfield this weekend, but Kerry boss Pat O'Shea has opted to start Micheal Quirke alongside O'Se.

Kerry lined out with a Griffin-O'Se centre-field unit on four occasions during the National Football League, but O'Shea has favoured the basketball-playing Quirke for the trip to Dungarvan.

The 6ft 7in Quirke's aerial prowess has also seen him used as a full-forward for Kerry, and he could swap places with 2006 Footballer of the Year Kieran Donaghy, who will wear the number 14 jersey on Sunday.

Paul Galvin, who has overcome a recent injury, Eoin Brosnan and Colm Cooper, who were both rested for Dr. Crokes' SFL game against Kerins O'Rahillys last weekend, Mike Frank Russell and skipper Declan O'Sullivan complete a formidable-looking Kerry attack.

O'Rahillys clubman Quill is unfortunate to miss out, given that he led the Kerry scoring during the National League by tallying up 0-24.

The team includes 11 players from the Kingdom's starting fifteen for last year's All-Ireland final. The four players missing are retired pair Seamus Moynihan and Mike McCarthy, and Griffin and wing forward Sean O'Sullivan, who are both benched for Sunday's game.

Moynihan and McCarthy's places in defence have gone to Scartaglin's Padraig Reidy, who will be making his championship debut, and Renard clubman Killian Young, who got his first taste of championship action last summer against Tipperary.

Kerry have won 24 of their previous 28 championship matches with Waterford - their most recent win coming last May when the Kingdom, helped by Bryan Sheehan's seven-point tally, scored a 0-16 to 0-8 victory at Fitzgerald Stadium.

KERRY (SFC v Waterford) - D Murphy; P Reidy, T O'Sullivan, M S Si; T S Si, A O'Mahony, K Young; D S Si, M Quirke; D O'Sullivan (capt), E Brosnan, P Galvin; C Cooper, K Donaghy, MF Russell.