Just two starters from last year for Kerry minor's clash with Cork

Cormac Dillon and Jack Clifford the sole Kingdom survivors while captain Colm Gillespie is only Cork starter to have begun last year's final

Cork's Hugh O'Connor with Kerry's Cian Lynch. Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Ken Sutton

The Kerry minor football team for tomorrow's Munster MFC semi-final against Cork (Austin Stack Park, 7pm) contains just two players who started last year’s provincial semi-final defeat to the Rebels.

Centre-forward Cormac Dillon and full-forward Jack Clifford are the two survivors from the 2021 team who will hope to reverse last year’s one-point defeat.

But unlike last year, tomorrow’s semi-final is not knockout and so whoever comes off second best in Tralee will get a second semi-final shot against Phase 1 winners Tipperary next week.

Meanwhile, captain Colm Gillespie is the sole player named on the Cork team who began last year’s Munster minor final win.

Nemo Rangers’ Brian Hayes was introduced as a sub during last year’s provincial final victory over Limerick and he will lead the Cork attack from centre-forward tomorrow.

Hayes is one of seven city players on the Cork matchday panel, noteworthy given one delegate at Tuesday’s Cork county board meeting was extremely critical of the fact that there was not one city player in the matchday panel for Cork’s recent Munster U20 football final defeat to Kerry.

Kerry: Shay O’Meara (Dr Crokes); Maidhcí Lynch (Dr Crokes), Jake Foley (Kerins O’Rahilly’s), Ruairí Burke (Castleisland Desmonds); Liam Evans (Keel), Darragh O’Connor (Kenmare), Fionn Murphy (Rathmore); Eddie Healy (Listowel Emmets), Jack O’Sullivan (Brosna); Donagh O’Sullivan (Dromid Pearses), Cormac Dillon (Duagh), Niall Collins (Ballymacelligott); Paddy Lane (Austin Stacks), Jack Clifford (St Michael’s Foilmore), James Fitzgerald (Lios Póil).

Subs: Michael Tansley (Austin Stacks), Joshua Coffey (Beaufort), Padraig Moynihan (Rathmore), Thomas Ashe (Annascaul), John Burke (Laune Rangers), Darren Allman (Kenmare), Darragh O’Connor (Beaufort), Alex Hennigan (Dr Crokes), Liam O’Neill (Cromane).

Cork: Josh Woods (Valley Rovers); Gearóid Daly (Mallow), Colin Molloy (Nemo Rangers), Tim O’Brien (Nemo Rangers); Shane O’Connell (Castlehaven), James Burke (Douglas), Aaron Cullinane (Clonakilty); Colm Gillespie (Aghabullogue), Alan O’Connell (Kilshannig); Darragh Gough (Clonakilty), Brian Hayes (Nemo Rangers), Aaron O’Sullivan (Aghabullogue); Gearóid Kearney (Kinsale), Olan O’Donovan (Ibane Gaels), Mark Kelleher (Mallow).

Subs: Eoin O’Flynn (Douglas), Conor Fitzpatrick (Kinsale), Mark O’Sullivan (Bantry), Colm Clifford (Éire Óg), Neville O’Leary (Douglas), Colm Geary (Kilshannig), Ed Myers (Naomh Abán), Darragh O’Donovan (Bishopstown), Trevor Kiely (Doneraile).