Football team news: Cork stick, but Kerry and Galway make four changes each 

The Kingdom are still without a number of key players for the Donegal clash

IMPACT: Tony Brosnan of Kerry celebrates scoring a point off the bench in the Munster final. He starts against Donegal on Saturday. Picture: Paul Phelan/Sportsfile

One or two changes are anticipated but John Cleary has announced the same side that began the Munster SFC final defeat to Kerry for the visit of Meath to Páirc Ui Rinn on Saturday.

As was signalled by the manager, Brian Hurley and Dara Sheedy are not available. Jacob O’Driscoll comes in for Seán Brady on the bench.

Sheedy is the only player missing from the team that began the Division 2 final defeat to Meath in Croke Park at the end of March.

Meath make three changes from the side that commenced the Leinster quarter-final loss to Westmeath – Adam O’Neill, Cathal Hickey and Mathew Costello take over from Jack Flynn, Ruairí Kinsella and Seamus Lavin.

Jack O’Connor’s Kerry team named to face Donegal in Saturday’s All-Ireland SFC, Round 1 game in Killarney shows four changes from the Munster final.

Graham O’Sullivan, Cillian Trant, Tony Brosnan and Dylan Geaney are included while Paudie Clifford, Seán O’Brien and Tomás Kennedy are among the substitutes and Armin Heinrich misses out on the matchday panel.

While Brian Ó Beaglaoich and Joe O’Connor are on the bench, Gavin White is also absent from the Kerry squad having come on against Cork. Shane Ryan, Paul Murphy, Tom O’Sullivan, Seán O’Shea and Paul Geaney are also not available.

Kerry’s Paudie Clifford and Maurice Shanley of Cork. Picture: INPHO/Ryan Byrne

Brosnan starts having impressed in the second half in the win over Cork. He replaced Paudie Clifford at half-time, while O’Brien and Kennedy picked up slight knocks last Sunday week. Heinrich was also substituted at the break.

From last year’s All-Ireland final winning team, there are just seven survivors due to start again against Donegal. Ten remain from the team that began March’s Division 1 final loss to Jim McGuinness’ side.

Donegal’s joint-captain Michael Langan has been included among the substitutes as their named team to face Kerry has two alterations from the one that started the Ulster SFC quarter-final loss to Down.

Jason McGee and Oisín Gallen are among the 26 but their places at least in the revealed side are taken by Seán Martin and Shea Malone. Twelve of the team that were in from the off in the Division 1 final win over Kerry are in the announced side.

Meanwhile, Pádraic Joyce has announced four personnel changes from the side that lost the Connacht final to Roscommon for the visit of Kildare to Salthill on Saturday.

Liam Ó Conghaile and Ryan Roche are out entirely while Kieran Molloy and Daniel O’Flaherty drop to the bench. Coming into the team for the evening game are Cian Hernon, John Daly, Ciarán Mulhern and Matthew Tierney.

DONEGAL (SFC v Kerry): C. Mulreany; C. McColgan, B. McCole, P. Mogan; R. McHugh, E. Gallagher, F. Roarty; C. McGonagle, H. McFadden; S. Martin, S. O’Donnell (j-c), C. Moore; C. O’Donnell, M. Murphy, S. Malone. Subs: S. Patton, S. McMenamin, J. Brennan, M. Campbell, D. Ó Baoill, J. McGee, O. Gallen, P. O’Hare, T. Carr, K. Gallagher, M. Langan (v-c).

CORK (SFC v Meath): P. Doyle; M. Shanley, D. O’Mahony, S. Meehan; B. O’Driscoll, T. Walsh, L. Fahy; C. O’Callaghan, I. Maguire (c); P. Walsh, S. McDonnell, R. Deane; M. Cronin, C. Jones, S. Sherlock. 

Subs: M.A. Martin, J. O’Driscoll, M. Taylor, R. Maguire, D. Cashman, S. Walsh, C. Cahalane, D. Buckley, E. McSweeney, C. Corbett, C. Daly.

MEATH (SFC v Cork): S. Brennan; D. Keogan, S. Rafferty, B. O’Halloran; S. Coffey, B. Menton, C. Caulfield; C. McBride, A. O’Neill; S. O’Connor, J. Morris, C. Hickey, M. Costello, E. Frayne, A. Lynch.

Subs: B. Hogan, R. Ryan, K. Smyth, C. O’Connor, R. Jones, K. Curtis, J. Conlon, O. Martin, J. McEntee, S. Murphy, S. Lavin.

KERRY (SFC v Donegal ): S. Murphy; E. Looney, J. Foley, D. Casey; T. Morley, M. Breen, G. O’Sullivan; M. O’Shea, D. O’Connor; M. Burns, K. Evans, C. Trant; T. Brosnan, D. Clifford (c), D. Geaney. 

Subs: S. Broderick, E. Healy, T. Kennedy, K. Spillane, D. O’Sullivan, P. Clifford, J. O’Connor, B. Ó Beaglaoich, S. O’Brien, J. Nagle, B.D. O’Sullivan.

Galway veteran Matthew Tierney. Picture: INPHO/Emily Harney

GALWAY (SFC v Kildare): C. Flaherty; J. Glynn, C. Hernon, L. Silke; D. McHugh, J. Daly, S. Kelly; P. Conroy, J. Maher (c); C. Darcy, C. Mulhern, C. McDaid; R. Finnerty, M. Tierney, S. Walsh. 

Subs: C. Gleeson, B. Cogger, S. Ó Maoilchiaráin, J. McGrath, K. Molloy, R. Roche, S. McGlinchey, S. McGrath, D. O’Flaherty, O. Mac Donnacha, D. Comer.

KILDARE (SFC v Galway): C. Burke; R. Burke, M. Dempsey, H. O’Neill; J. McGrath, E. Lawlor, B. Byrne; K. Feely, B. Gibbons; B. McLoughlin, D. Swords, T. Gill; B. Loakman, D. Kirwan, E. Cully. Subs: E. Sheehan, P. Spillane, J. Harris, C. Moran, S. Farrell, S. Doran, C. Dalton, B. McCormack, A. Beirne, N. Flynn, J. Robinson.

Eoghan O'Donnell of Dublin in action. Picture: INPHO/James Lawlor